Dimitri's Prequel
by 12Mrs.Castile34
Summary: How did Dimitri end up at the academy? What did he struggle with while searching for his charge and her companion? What was Dimitri's life like before Rose Hathaway was pulled into it kicking and screaming (mainly kicking)This prequel begins a year before Dimitri meets Rose and then works its way there. Rated T for a little violence and feelings of anxiety.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello dears!**

 **Some of you might be saying, "Hm. This looks familiar." Well that's because it is. I had another account: 00 (as you can see, I'm pretty attached to the part) and for some reason I was logged out and it wouldn't let me log back in. Don't know what happened, but its okay:) I have made a new account! The only downside is that I had already posted the first two chapters of this story on my old account so now I will have to re-post them here so I can continue as planned. (Just an FYI: If you do like this story then you should check out my other account. It has two one-shots that I will not be posting here.)**

 **As you know from the summary, this is Dimitri's version of a prequel. Sadly it will not be super long (only 8 to 10 chapters), but hopefully I don't take our fav Russian OOC and you enjoy what my imagination has come up with for him.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy or any of it's characters. Everything belongs to Richelle Mead**

* * *

"Dimitri. Dimitri!"

"Hmm?"

"Dimitri, wake up! The guardians are here to see you."

That got my attention. My eyes opened, my mind became alert, and I sat up simultaneously. Quickly I scanned my room for any immediate threats. I did this out of habit. I knew that 99.9% of the time nothing threatening would be there, but it was that .1% chance that made me do it. Nothing wrong with being prepared.

My teenage sister, Viktoria, stood in front of me with her hands on her hips, smiling. She always found it entertaining when I snapped to attention. I think she liked to judge my reaction time. I took a second to evaluate her for any signs of injury or anxiousness. (The guardians were the good guys, but you could never be too careful.) Her easy posture and calm eyes told me that she was okay. As she rolled her eyes at my assessment, I relaxed – a little.

"Why are the guardians here?" I asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know, but you'd better hurry up and get dressed. Mama is going to have a heart attack if you make her guests wait to eat a minute longer."

"Eat?"

"Yes, Sunshine. Having breakfast tends to entail eating."

I shot her a dry look, letting her know that I wasn't amused with her sarcasm. In return she gave me a warm and sympathetic smile. While she tried to hide it, I could still see the concern beginning to replete her face. She was one of the few, "the few" being the rest of my immediate family, who knew what I'd been going through this past week. And even they didn't really understand. I could tell that she was worried about what the guardians showing up would do to my emotional state.

"Don't look at me like that," I grumbled.

"Like what?"

"Like I'm broken or something."

"Easy, Dimka," she said gently. "I know you're not broken, but I do know you're in pain."

"I'm fine," I replied gruffly. She didn't believe it for a second.

"Don't do that," she chastised.

"Do what?"

"That thing you do when you're hurting but don't want anyone to know. You put up emotional barriers and don't let anyone in."

As much as any big brother hated to admit it, I knew Viktoria was right. I did put up walls to protect myself, and recent events had only reinforced them. People in the guardian profession couldn't afford to be emotional. In my world weakness lead to death, and emotion lead to heartbreak. I'd learned that the hard way.

I looked up at my sister. She had her long hair tied into a high ponytail. It was the same color as mine: a soft brown. Her dark eyes, also like mine, were studying me. Waiting to see if my expression would give something away. I wouldn't give her the satisfaction so I put on a reassuring smile and told her I'd be downstairs in two minutes.

Once she left, I got out of bed and changed into my guardian attire that hadn't been touched in a week: black slacks, white button up shirt, and a black jacket. Standard for all guardians. I quickly finished getting ready by brushing my teeth and tying my shoulder length hair into a low ponytail just above my neck. By doing this I exposed five _molnija_ marks. One for each Strigoi kill I'd made. Thinking about them made me frown. I absolutely believed killing Strigoi was the right thing to do, but it was still technically taking a life and sometimes I found that hard to come to terms with.

Brushing all thoughts about Strigoi aside, I left my room and headed down the stairs. The polished wooden railing was smooth to the touch as my hand slid down it in perfect unison with my decent. A distant childhood memory flashed through my mind.

* * *

 _It was the beginning of summer break after my 6_ _th_ _grade year. That was the year that our combat training had been taken up a notch, and I had absorbed all of the advanced new moves hungrily, always wanting more. When summer came, I was disappointed that my training would be put on hold for two whole months. So I decided to train myself. I spent the whole summer racing through obstacles that I had set up around the house,_ _and on occasion my sisters, who had all received their fair share of training_ _(except Viktoria)_ _,_ _would act as the Strigoi. I ran through all of the different courses at least twice a day, but my favorite obstacle was riding the railing down the stairs. I suppose it was less of a challenge or obstacle and more of a fun twist._

 _One day, while I was running through the routine courses, I decided to put cooking oil on the railing so that I would slide faster. My efforts would allow me to beat my fastest time, therefore, making me a better guardian. At least that's how I saw it._

 _I lined myself up at the start, then I hit the stopwatch and took off. I flew through the first part of the course; defeating evil pillows and cushions, maneuvering through mazes made with blankets, and jumping over and onto beds and dressers. When I reached the railing, I threw on_ _e_ _leg over, straddling it, and then shoved off._ _I could feel myself going faster than I ever had before,_ _and I_ _couldn't wait to see my mama's face when she saw that I'd beaten my fastest time. My excitement was short lived, however, when I reached the end of the railing because rather than coming to a nice stop, I flew through the air about 8 to 10 feet. When I came back down to the ground, I landed directly on my right arm. Mama had been very concerned at first, but she quickly deduced the events that had lead to my accident so her concern turned into rage._

 _My mother, Olena, ha_ _d_ _never been a professional doctor, but she kn_ _ew_ _a lot and had many skills in the medical field. Many local dhampir even c_ _a_ _me to her with injuries rather than going to a hospital._ _So s_ _he was_ _easily_ _able to determine that my arm was broken, and then proceeded to set it, wrap it, and cradle it in a sling._ To this day I hate the sight of slings.

 _It had been near the end of summer when this happened and so when we returned to school I was forced to sit out of combat training for two months; the exact amount of time_ _I would've had to stop training if I'd just enjoyed my summer like any other novice. That's karma for you._

* * *

Thinking about that memory made me smile, but I put on a straight face as I neared the bottom of the stairs, wanting to look professional. The smile quickly returned _,_ though, when I saw who was waiting for me. Volya Orlov, my favorite former instructor from school, sat at my dinning table with two other guardians I'd never seen before. His reaction to seeing me mirrored my own. A full smile parted his graying beard that he kept at a reasonably short length. His hair was a little thinner and his wrinkles a little deeper since I'd last seen him five years ago. Training novices was hard work. God knows how crude, disrespectful, and wild teenagers can be. I could imagine the amount of patience and control it would take to be an instructor, and I was thankful for not having that fate.

"There's my star student," Volya exclaimed as I entered the room. He had a booming voice that was thick with a Russian accent.

"Guardian Orlov," I chuckled. "It's been too long." He stood up and shook my hand then we both sat down.

"Indeed, it has," he agreed. "Guardian Belikov, I'd like you to meet Guardian Petrov and Guardian Alto."

My attention was drawn to the two stoic dhampirs who had remained silent throughout the reunion. Guardian Alto was an American man in his mid-thirties. He tightened his lips and gave me a nod. When he didn't offer me his hand I simply nodded back. I secretly wondered if he was just uncomfortable being in a dhampir community, or as they liked to call them "blood whore communes."

Turning to Guardian Petrov, I was pleased to see that she was a woman. Although my grandmother believed that dhampir women should stay home and raise children while the men protect the Moroi, I respected and encouraged the idea of female guardians.

Guardian Petrov was African American and a more seasoned guardian like Volya, and unlike Guardian Alto, she gave me a warm smile and offered me her hand.

"I've heard many good things about you, Guardian Belikov," she said.

"Thank you. It's a pleasure to meet you," I returned, taking her hand.

At that moment my mother and older sister, Karolina, walked into the room, carrrying plates filled with syrniki and sausage.

"You all must be so hungry from your long trip," my mother fussed. "If this isn't enough food we always have more."

I mentally rolled my eyes. Olena Belikova could be seen cooking at all times of the day. I truly believed that her greatest fear was having someone go hungry in her home.

"That won't be necessary Ms. Belikova. Thank you for your hospitality," Guardian Petrov insisted.

Mama was about to protest, but I shot her a look that said _let it go._ She nodded in acknowledgment and then she and Karolina went back to the kitchen. We all started eating our breakfast, and Volya made an effort to learn how I'd been and what I'd been up to since leaving the Academy. I didn't particularly like talking about myself so I tried to leave out as much as possible. Though there were _a lot_ of stories to tell. My five years had been filled with a lifetimes worth of experiences, the five _molnija_ marks proved it, but I just didn't feel like telling them. Thankfully my old instructor had more than enough stories to share. But as much as I enjoyed listening to them, I was curious as to why he and the other guardians were here at all. Once Volya finished a story about catching two novices drinking on Academy grounds, I interceded before he could launch into another.

"I hope I'm not being disrespectful by asking, but what is real reason you're here? Surely you and two guardians from America didn't come here just to catch up."

Guardian Alto looked relieved that someone had finally said something about their mission. He didn't seem like the type to have warm reunions or happy conversation. Guardian Petrov's expression remained neutral, but it was clear that she was just as welcoming to the subject change by how quickly she answered me.

"You're absolutely correct Guardian Belikov. Our reason for being here is much more important so I'm going to be blunt. After the deaths of your charge and your partner, you have become an available guardian."

I nearly flinched when she said "deaths of your charge and your partner." Ivan was more than just a charge, and even Daniil was more than just a partner. They had only been dead a week, which under normal circumstances that wouldn't have been nearly enough time to mourn, but I was under guardian circumstances. So giving me a week was pretty generous.

"We happen to be in need of a guardian," she continued. "And so Volya suggested you."

"We?" I asked.

"The Academy."

My eyes widened slightly in shock. The Academy wanted me? "Wait. You want me to come work at St. Basils?"

St. Basils was the Academy where I had acquired all of my training and eventually graduated from, receiving my promise mark.

"No, we'd like you to come to America. To St. Vladimir's Academy."

* * *

 **AN: So did we like it? If so, then please leave a review and/or comment. Also, Yes or No for middle school Dimitri? Constructive criticism is always appreciated, just please no cussing me out if you hated it. A simple "I hated it" will do. But I sincerely hope that none of you hate it.**

 **Thank you so very much for reading! I hope you have a wonderful day:)**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: hello my dears!**

 **Here's the second chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy or its characters. Everything belongs to Richelle Mead.**

* * *

My earlier concerns about instructing novices came back to me. Taking on Strigoi was no easy task, but even that seemed more doable than teaching a bunch of caustic, inappropriate, and hormonal teenagers!

"I can't instruct students!"

"Why not?"

"I'm not qualified."

"Your very impressive record says otherwise."

"My record...is okay."

"That's an understatement," Volya chimed. "You graduated at the top of your class, and within the first five years of field work you've created many connections around the guardian community and have killed five Strigoi. That's more than most guardians twice your age can say."

"But I'm not trained to teach students."

"No," Guardian Petrov admitted. "But you are trained to fight. You are an expert in that field and that's exactly what you'd be teaching them to do. That is, if you are to instruct them at all. Your responsibilities won't include teaching a class, just monitoring the classes and the grounds. You may be asked to sub from time to time."

 _They wanted me to be a sub?!_

"Besides," said Guardian Alto, speaking for the first time since I'd met him. "Your position at the Academy would only be temporary."

"Temporary?" Now I was confused. What was going on? Were the guardians mad that I lost Iv- my charge and this was their way of punishing me? A "serve your time" kind of thing? "Why temporary?"

"Because your new charge hasn't graduated yet, and when she does you will be leaving the Academy with her."

I almost sighed in relief. They were giving me a charge. I wouldn't be a sub the rest of my life! But then I realized something that confused me even more.

"But students don't receive guardians."

"They do when they are the last Moroi in their royal line," Alto exhaled impatiently.

The Dragomir Princess then. Wow, this was truly an honor. The Dragomirs had been very few in number and then a year or so ago a car accident had finished the rest of them off except one. I tried to think of the Princess' name, but then, as if reading my mind, Guardian Petrov voiced the answer for me.

"Her name is Vasilisa Dragomir. She is the last of the Dragomirs, and so we want the very best guardians for her. We have handpicked you for the extremely paramount and esteemed task of being one of her guardians. And just so we are clear, this isn't an option or a request. It is an order."

I suddenly felt stupid for questioning this so much. I couldn't pick and choose my assignments or charges. The guardians did that for me. My job was to protect Moroi. My opinions didn't matter.

"I understand," I said. "How soon can I meet her?"

"That's another problem. You can't meet her. Not yet. We don't know where she is."

 _What!?_ Well this was very unlike the guardians. "Why? What happened to her?"

I may have just received this assignment a minute ago, but she was still technically _my_ charge now, and so I felt responsible for her safety. Not only that, but also the fact that she is the last of the Dragomirs and a minor. If something were to happen to her it would be a big loss for the whole Moroi and dhampir world.

"A novice took Vasilisa and escaped from the Academy about a year ago." Petrov explained.

"A kidnapping?"

"Unlikely. The novice was the Princess' best friend. I've never seen two people so close. She was always very protective of Vasilisa."

"Don't try and defend her," Alto sneered with clear disgust. "She doesn't deserve it. What few good qualities she has are all outweighed by the bad. And no "protective nature" argument can justify taking the last Dragomir."

"I wasn't trying to defend her or justify her actions," Petrov replied calmly. "I was simply stating the facts. She wouldn't have taken Vasilisa, exposing her to all sorts of danger, without a reason."

Back and forth they went for a while. Guardian Alto showed some obvious disdain for the novice, and Guardian Petrov, though she didn't agree with the decision to escape, seemed to be fond of her. But who this girl? They hadn't said her name once, and so I decided to ask.

"I don't mean to interrupt," - That was a lie. I actually _had_ meant to discontinue their argument because while Petrov was a perfect picture of patience and composure, Alto was about to start foaming at the mouth. - "but what is the girl's name?"

They both looked at me. The question brought them to a standstill. Then, after a dramatic pause worthy enough to be in a movie, they both said her name in unison.

"Rose Hathaway."

"Hathaway," I pondered aloud. "Where have I heard that name before?"

"Well, Rose is the daughter of Janine Hathaway," Petrov suggested.

Of course. The famous Janine Hathaway. One of the most respected and talented guardians out there. Stories about her many Strigoi kills and techniques have circulated throughout the dhampir world. But I had no idea that she'd had a daughter. She seemed too dedicated to her guardian responsibilities to ever have the time for a child.

"But I also wouldn't be surprised if you heard about Rose from the accident that claimed Vasilisa's family. She was in the car when it happened, one of the two lucky survivors."

"Rose and the Dragomir family were close?" I asked.

"Very. Eric and Rhea, before they died, had requested that Miss Hathaway be Vasilisa's guardian when they both graduated."

Guardian Alto was apparently sick of hearing Rose's praises because he piped up with his own narration. "But now, once we find them, Rose will be lucky if she even gets to become a guardian let alone the Princess'."

"I take it you don't like her, Guardian Alto."

"I'll give you points for your observation skills. Before she left, I had the displeasure of having Miss Hathaway in my classroom. You see, she has a unique reputation and she always enjoyed living up to it by getting into fights and using her expressive, crude, and brazen commentary. So, to answer your question, no. I don't like Rose Hathaway. And my opinion was only amplified by the run away stunt."

"She can't be all that bad if the Dragomirs trusted her with their daughters life. I met them a few years ago, and they were very level headed people."

I didn't know why I was defending Rose. I didn't even know her. Maybe it was because of what Guardian Petrov had said about her protectiveness over Vasilisa. This Hathaway girl might be reckless and disrespectful (according to Guardian Alto), but when it came down to it, a guardian's responsibilities started and ended with protecting Moroi. It took most guardians a few years to fully understand our mantra: They come first. And to have a high school student have that mastered was truly incredible. Or maybe I was just defending her in order to contradict Alto. I was starting to develop a distaste for him.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand Guardian Belikov. You haven't met her, but when you do, don't say I didn't warn you. That girl is trouble. I pray for the unfortunate soul of the man she ends up with. Assuming she finds one willing to put up with her."

"Miss Hathaway's future love life is of no importance right now," interrupted Guardian Petrov. "The only thing that matters is finding her and the Princess, and returning them safely."

Guardian Alto looked slightly embarrassed that he'd gotten so off topic, and I was kind of embarrassed for him. This mission had absolutely nothing to do with Rose's future lover, whoever he may be. It was apparently unlike him to go off on tangents. Rose must really irritate him.

"So," Guardian Petrov said, turning to me. "How soon can we leave?"

Before long, I found myself on a private jet, flying to America. Flying to my new life. I was glad to finally have something to do other than think about Ivan and Daniil. Images of gore entered my mind. The metallic stench of blood and the decaying smell of death was still fresh in my memory.

I looked out the window and took a deep breath. That was how I calmed myself. For some reason looking at the sky, and infinite expanse that was much greater than myself, was helpful. It reminded me that somewhere in the world there was happiness, music, and life. All of it under the same beautiful sky that I resided. It gave me hope for the future.

Thinking about the future, _my_ future, refocused me. I was ready to move on to this new chapter in my life. I _had_ to be ready. I couldn't dwell. I wasn't over the deaths of my friend and my partner, definitely, but having a new charge, a mission, would help me recover. It would give me a purpose, something to do. I realized that I needed this distraction. If I'd stayed at home for another week I probably would've gone crazy. Drowning in a sea of my own guilt and inactivity. Keeping rebellious teens in line would hopefully be a good outlet until Vasilisa graduated and I was in the field again.

I suddenly thought about what Viktoria said to me as she was saying good-bye.

* * *

 _"Take care of yourself Dimka," she whispered into my shoulder. Her arms wrapped around my neck in_ _a_ _tight embrace. Because she was significantly shorter than me, I was holding her equally tight about a foot above the ground._

 _"You know me Vika," I said, setting her down. "I'm always careful."_

 _"I'm serious Dimitri." I could tell by her tone and facial expression that I hadn't answered correctly. "I don't just mean_ _for you_ _to take care of yourself physically, though, I want that too. I don't want you to get hurt or anything, but you also need to take care of yourself emotionally and mentally."_

 _Her concern for my mental state surprised me. "Do you think I'm going crazy?"_

 _"Of course not, but like I said this morning, I know that you're hurting_ _inside. So do me a favor. While you're in America, find someone. Anyone. Make a friend that you feel you can trust and talk to, then let them behind those walls. Maybe it will ease the pain."_

* * *

Back in the present, on the plane, it seemed unlikely that I would get close enough to anyone to actually open my self up to them. I was planning on devoting all of my extra time and attention to finding the runaways. No distractions.

After a few hours in the air, Guardian Petrov came and sat down in the seat facing me.

"What can I do for you Guardian Petrov?" I asked. "Other than help you find your missing students."

She smiled lightly. "Please don't feel obligated to use my guardian title when we are in a casual setting. Honestly, I'd prefer to be called Alberta, my first name, or just Petrov."

I was a little uncomfortable with this breech in etiquette. Not because I felt like I was being seduced or anything, but simply because I had been taught my whole life that using titles properly, for both dhampirs and Moroi, was respectful and correct. But since Alberta was now technically my boss, I thought it best not to contradict her wishes.

"Very well. Alberta, what can I do for you?"

"Nothing right now. I just wanted to let you know that we still have a while before we land. Because we have our own jet, we won't be making any stops so that will speed up the process. But even so, the distance between Siberia and Montana is a big one. I suggest you get some rest. You have a long day tomorrow."

She started to stand to her feet, but I still had a question that I needed to ask her. "What exactly do my new duties consist of?"

She put on a knowing smile and settled back into her seat, like she expected me to ask her sooner or later. "Well, Vasilisa and Rose will be your main focus since you will be put in charge of the team to find them, but finding them may not be as quick and easy as we hope. So while you are at the Academy you will be utilized for the same purposes that most of our guardian staff are. Things like watching classrooms, walking the grounds, running errands, and like we said before, considering your field experience and fighting skills, we will probably have you help instruct some classes."

My face didn't show it – I had become very good at displaying the emotionless expression that many guardians excelled at – but internally I was writhing. _Watching classrooms? Running errands?_ My new job was becoming less and less appealing. Admittedly, being in the field wasn't always exciting. Strigoi attacks weren't a daily, weekly, or even monthly occurrence. Years could go by with no action, but there was always something important to do. Whether it be scoping out an area, searching a building or room, strategizing, or actually fighting the evil, soulless creatures of the night. After graduating, I had never expected to be an errand boy.

Thankfully Alberta didn't seem to notice my disappointment. She stood up again, apparently taking my silence as satisfaction with her answer.

"Everything will be explained in greater detail when we actually get to the Academy." She started to leave but then turned back and added, "Welcome to the team, Belikov."

* * *

 **AN: Please let me know if you liked it (Or if you didn't). I hope the OBVIOUS foreshadowing about Rose's "future lover" wasn't too cheesy. I couldn't resist putting something like that in here;)**

 **Thank you for reading! Have a super day!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hello darlings!**

 **Here's chapter 3! Hope you like it.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy or its characters. Everything belongs to Richelle Mead.**

* * *

The rest of the flight was uneventful. I caught up on some sleep for a few hours. And as for the rest of the time, I chose to indulge in one of the only luxuries I ever allowed myself: a Western novel. Together they made the time pass quickly, though, I had yet to decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Once we reached the Academy and entered through the wrought iron gates, I found myself very impressed. The campus, if you could call it that, was huge. A few of the structures reminded me of the ancient Eastern European palaces, but the school was nothing compared to the magnificence of the buildings from which they were based upon. I had to hold back a smile as I looked at America's attempt to recreate the original structures.

Alberta, however, interrupted my musings when she addressed me. "Belikov, when we get inside Stephan will show you around and take you to your apartment in guardian housing. Dinner will be at 5 am. It will give you a chance to meet some of our guardians."

Five am dinner? Looks like I was back on a Vampiric schedule again. It really wasn't a huge inconvenience, but for me personally, I enjoyed the sun. The human half of me longed to feel its warmth and light, and I accused the darkness of hiding the beauty around me. Rather than getting to see a twisting tree bathed in orange, sparkling light, I saw a tall dark mass. I wasn't the same.

Alberta left with Stan shortly after we entered the main building (she'd informed me earlier that Stan was Guardian Alto's first name). She apologized for not being able to stay, but she had a meeting to attend. So at their departure I was left in the hands of Stephan. He was an upbeat and young guardian, around my age. Perhaps a little younger. At first I thought the cheerfulness was just for show, but after listening to him and watching him I realized that it was just his personality. A quick glance at the back of his neck confirmed it. It was clear of any tattoos except his promise mark. _Lucky._ He didn't have the burden of death to weigh him down. He'd never seen the life drain from someone else's eyes knowing that he was one who took it from them. A part of me envied that innocence.

Stephan took me on a tour that covered all of the grounds including the portion of the woods that the Academy owned. He showed me every building and every room, and he explained _all_ of their purposes even when it was self exclamatory. But I didn't hold it against him for wanting to be thorough.

The final stop was my room. It was small, but definitely bigger than the dorm rooms that the students stayed in, and it contained a decent amount of furniture that made it homey: a bed, table, chair (both a wooden one and an arm chair), lamp stand, lamp for said stand, dresser, small T.V., and to my pleasure, a bookshelf. It also held a bathroom with a shower, a kitchenette, and a closet.

"I'm sorry that the accommodations aren't all that exciting," Stephan said like he really meant it.

"It's fine. Thank you."

He smiled and before leaving he reminded me that dinner was at five, and then he proceeded to explain how to get there. I was a little annoyed by this. I had already committed everything he'd shown me to memory and knew exactly where I was going, but I let him finish so as not to embarrass him. Finally he left and once I closed the door behind me, I let out a sigh that I'd been holding in since Alberta told me that I'd be coming to Vladimir's.

I began unpacking my things – no point in delaying the inevitable, and as I placed the last shirt in my dresser, I looked at my watch. It was only 3:00. I still had two hours to kill. So with nothing better to do, I decided to start working on a plan to find the Princess and her, more or less, captor.

After about an hour and a half of strategizing, I had come up with practically nothing. I needed to know more about the escape and the girls. I wondered if I could get my hands on their files. That would be helpful. It was then I realized that my back and shoulders were tight from remaining in a sitting position for most of the day and most of yesterday as well. The only time I had walked was when Stephan gave me the tour. My muscles were as annoyed as I was with the lack of movement. A shower truly sounded like a good idea, and I was grateful that I had been given my own in-room shower rather than having to share some community locker room.

The hot water felt amazing and did wonders to release the stress in my strained muscles and some of my mental stress as well. By the time I had dried off and gotten dressed it was time to go to dinner.

I made my way to the guardian dining room with no trouble. But as I stood outside of the double doors, I was hesitant to go inside. I wasn't scared, that would be ridiculous, just slightly uneasy. I'd never been particularly good at introductions, and that made it hard to form relationships. Not to mention I really wasn't in the mood – not after loosing Ivan only a week ago. I tried to reassure myself. _You aren't here to make friends. That's not what is being asked of you. You are here to meet your new co-workers._

Swallowing my unmerited nerves, I pushed one side of the double doors open (I had no intention of making a spectacle of myself by bursting through both doors like I owned the place). But it turns out that no matter what I did a scene would be made anyway. The coming of a new guardian was apparently too intriguing because the moment I stepped through the threshold, all eyes were on me. I silently cursed the attained skill all guardians had. The skill to notice every detail around them – like say a stranger walking into a room. Uncomfortable didn't even begin to describe how I felt, but, luckily, another attained guardian skill – one that I was particularly good at – was keeping your face and body void of emotion and discomfiture. My eyes scanned the room for Guardian Petrov, but she found me before I could locate her.

"Guardian Belikov." The short dhampir woman was walking towards where I stood at the head of the room. "Your team is anxious to meet you."

On the private jet she had referred to all of the school guardians as a team, so I was afraid that she was about to go all "new student in the class" on me by introducing me to everyone at once in an embarrassing display. But instead she lead me to a table where only four guardians sat. _This must be my strike team._ Alberta said as much.

"This is Emil Naphtail, Yuri Nobel, Celeste Langhart, and you've already met Stephan Oded. These four will help you with whatever you need: logistics, strategizing, surveillance, anything else you find useful, and eventually the retrieval."

"Dimitri Belikov," I said, shaking each of their hands in turn.

"I'm sure the other guardians will want to meet you as well, but for right now these are the folks you need to associate yourself with. And while you're at it, get some food in you."

And with that, Alberta walked away and left me to fend for myself. Stephan started up conversation, he was obviously more sociable than the rest of us. His topic of choice was my background and experience. The other three also started to ask their own questions and were willing to answer mine. Once we "got to know each other", so to speak, dinner was pretty much over. I told them to meet me back here for dinner tomorrow so we could get started on a plan and they all agreed.

"Would it be possible for me to get my hands on both the girls' files?" I asked as we all stood to leave.

"Sure," Yuri answered. "Guardians are welcome to anything in the filing room. Just be sure to sign them out and then sign them back in when you return them." I thanked him and then left quickly in case Stephan decided I needed a recap on how to get to the filing room.

I made it back to my room around 8 am and sat down at my table to go through the files I had just retrieved. First I opened the Princess'. It was filled with pictures and information. There were pictures of her, of her family, and of the car crash. The pictures of the crash made me grimace. Bodies belonging to Vasilisa's parents, brother, and family guardians all lay dead beside the destroyed car. I didn't want to think about what it would be like to lose your entire family in one fell swoop. The idea made me cringe.

I read through all of her information. Most of it was fairly useless; report cards, attendance records, medical information, and a birth certificate. There was even a decent amount of information about her immediate family and the Dragomir royal line. And something else that wasn't necessarily useful, but I found interesting was the fact that she hadn't specialized in a magic yet. Even though she had been gone a year, the odds of her specializing without proper instruction were pretty small. So she probably still hadn't hit that level yet. I made a mental note of that.

Attached to the attendance record was a paper that listed a number of vacationing cites and a summer home. Jackpot. Two teenagers on the run with no money need to go somewhere where they don't need to pay for their stay. According to the file, a close friend of Eric Dragomir's, Prince Victor Dashkov, took over paying the taxes on the house until the Princess could do so herself. We would definitely be searching that house in the near future.

After I was certain that there was no other information I could gather from Vasilisa's file, I moved onto Rose's significantly larger one. A single photo was offered for identification purposes. I compared both of their pictures. There was such a contrast between their physical features that it would be quite easy to pick them out from a crowd if they were standing next to each other. Vasilisa had near platinum blond hair, jade green eyes, fair skin, and a slim build, and Rose had long, flowing, dark brown (almost black) hair, equally dark eyes, tanned skin, and even without a full body view, it was evident from her shoulders and chest that she had a toned and curvy build. The young dhampir was beautiful in the way that you were automatically attracted to her at first sight even when your mind was telling you that she was only 15 years old in the picture. The slight smirk of her lips and subtle, playful narrowing of her eyes made her all that more alluring, like she knew something that you didn't. I suddenly wanted to know exactly what that was.

With some difficulty, I moved on from the picture and got to the meat of the file, which just happened to be her student records. Along with all of the basic stuff that Vasilisa had – report cards, attendance records, medical info, and a birth certificate – Rose, well… Rose had an interesting file filled with pretty much anything you could imagine. Talking back to teachers, getting kicked out of class for misconduct, climbing out of her dorm room after hours, getting caught drinking, stealing a silver stake, breaking into the Headmistress' office and tee-peeing it, starting a food fight, sneaking into the male novice dorms and staying the night (whatever that meant), throwing a book at a teacher, breaking a girls arm, destruction of school property, and finally the escape. I honestly had no words. I didn't know whether to be horrified or impressed. Alto definitely hadn't been wrong about the "unique" reputation, I'll give him that. I decided that rather than being horrified or impressed, I'd just be grateful. Every bit of information gave me insight into her mind, and hopefully it would come of use when it came to seeking her out.

When I got to her family information, it barely took up half page.

 **Rosemarie Hathaway:**

 **Father: Unknown**

 **Mother: Janine Hathaway**

 **Sibling(s): Unknown**

 **Legal guardian: Rosemarie Hathaway was put in the custody of St. Vladimir's Academy** **at the age of four by Janine Hathaway.**

 **Rosemarie Hathaway has no other known relatives.**

My heart broke a little after reading it. I couldn't imagine life without my family. My mind drifted to my own back in Baia, whom I had left less than 48 hours ago yet still missed terribly. I had to remind myself that this was the reality of many dhampir children: an unknown father and a missing or dead or disgraced mother. Of course, Janine wasn't missing, dead, or disgraced. I wondered why she would actually give the school custody of Rose. Perhaps I was correct before when I believed her to be too focused on her duties for a child. Now that was something you didn't see a lot of. What would motivate Janine to do that? And what effect did it have on Rose?

I finally closed both files after using my cell phone to take pictures of both of the girls (I intended to memorize what they looked like so that there would be no way that I could ever miss them upon seeing them). I laid back in my bed and closed my eyes, but before I could determine if it was comfortable or not, I gave into my exhaustion and fell asleep. Alberta was right, it had been a long day.

* * *

 **AN: Let me know what you think! Liked it? Hated it? Loved it? Loathed it?**

 **Personally I enjoyed writing all of the information in Rose's file. Not to mention Dimitri's reaction to her picture;) PS. The unauthorized sleepover in the male novice dorms was just Rose hanging out with Mason and Eddie. I honestly love their friendship to stupid much! Maybe I'm just bias because Eddie is my husband (see FF name). It was a lovely wedding if any of you were wondering. Sorry, I know I'm trash.**

 **Have a beautiful day!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hello dears!**

 **So this chapter is pretty much just fluff. I debated combining this chapter with what I have for my chapter 5, but decided against it. The next chapter we finally will have some action and I didn't want it to take away from the introduction of some of our favorite characters (Yes, this is the chapter we will be seeing those familiar faces that I promised). Excited?**

 **Anyway, I hope you like Dimitri's first day at the Academy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy or its characters. Everything belongs to Richelle Mead.**

* * *

I woke up feeling refreshed. Five hours wasn't a lot of sleep according to humans, but for dhampirs it was enough to keep us going for 36 hours or more. Granted, said dhampir would be on the verge of collapse with a guardian's crazy life, but a couple shifts of walking the grounds and watching classrooms; cake. So I got ready, grabbed a quick breakfast, and walked to Alberta's to get my schedule. She handed it to me with little conversation, but as I turned to leave she stopped me.

"You should go to the advanced novice training session this morning. It will give you a chance to see how we do things here. Probably not much different from how they run things at St. Basils, but still. You need to familiarize yourself with the novices here anyway."

"I'll be there," I said dutifully.

"The class is taught by Guardian Naphtali and it starts in 10 minutes so you'd better get going."

I nodded my agreement and started towards the training rooms. The walk was short and peaceful, and I arrived a few minutes before the class was scheduled to begin. Upon entering, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia. About 2 dozen teens were either on the floor or the bar stretching out their dormant muscles. Many still rubbing the sleep out of their eyes. My life sure had changed since then. I was no longer a novice with a conscience as clear as my neck. I was a lethal guardian with kills under his belt. Ivan was no longer at the top of his Specialized Magic class, wooing ladies at every turn. He was dead.

"Ah! Guardian Belikov! Glad you could join us," Emil's loud, Romanian accented voice filled the room, breaking me from my morbid train of thought and forcing everyone's attention onto me. "Guardian Petrov said that she'd be sending you to my class."

I smiled and returned his friendly greeting. "Yes, she wanted me to see how things are done here."

"Well you're just in time to watch how they set up for sparring." He turned to his students and gave a resounding clap of his hands. Their attention snapped from me to him. "Start setting up guys."

The bell rang and the novices got to work laying down mats and putting on their hand wraps. After they were done, Emil began to yell orders. "Everyone, get into pair-"

He was interrupted by the sound of the doors bursting open and two novice boys rushing in. From the looks of it, both of them had woken up only minutes ago and had rushed over in a failed attempt to make it on time.

"Ashford. Castile. How good of you to join us this morning." Emil's voice held sarcasm and annoyance, but also the playfulness that said "boys will be boys" when he chastised them. "Since my time seems to mean so little to you, I find it only fair that I return the gesture. Both of you will be taking down all of the equipment today with no help from your classmates."

"Yes sir," they replied in unison.

A few of their classmates snickered as they walked to their position on the mats. The boys shot their friends looks of mock anger before laughing with them.

"As I was saying, get into pairs and try to work on perfecting the Do-jime maneuver. You all know the rules or sparring and take downs so get to it."

All of the students faced off and began punching, kicking, and blocking with precise and practiced movements. None of them were perfect or unusually outstanding and some were better than others, but over all they looked to be in pretty good shape.

About 10 minutes before class was over, Emil had everyone stop and move to the sides of the room. He then moved to the mats in the center. At first I was confused, but I soon got what he was doing when he beckoned for me to join him.

"What do you say we show them how it's done?"

I hadn't been prepared to actually spar for this class. It had been over a month since I'd sparred at all. That didn't mean that I was out of practice of course. I just wasn't one to show off. I preferred to spar only when I was training or when it was necessary. Neither of those applied to this situation. But Emil had cornered me by asking in front of his class. If I turned him down I would lose the students' respect right off the bat.

"Come on," he prompted. "And don't hold back. I wanna see what you can do."

He wasn't talking down to me. He genuinely wanted to see my skills. Well, hopefully I would exceed his expectations. I took off my duster and joined him in the middle of the room. As I was making my way to him, I heard one of the students whispering to his friends. Something about how "the new guy doesn't stand a chance." I'd never seen Emil fight, but if his 7 _molnija_ marks were any indication, he was really good.

But so was I.

I stepped onto the mat, and my mind and stance slipped into fight mode. I was ready for anything. Emil came at me first with a kick to my left side. I blocked it easily and retaliated quicker than he expected with my own power infused kick to his right side. He stumbled and I used that to my advantage. I kept coming and coming, not giving him a chance to go on the offensive. He did a fantastic job of blocking, but many of my blows still met their target and it was wearing him down. I finally decided to try and end it by pinning him to the mat with a pretty basic move that I had added my own touches to and perfected years ago. It worked and the spar was over.

As I pulled a smiling Emil to his feet, I noticed the room was silent. The novices were all staring with wide eyes and slack jaws. It really was an amusing sight.

"Dang Belikov. What do they feed you in Russia? I haven't sparred like that in years. We should face off more often. It will keep me on my toes and hopefully I'll get a chance to redeem myself."

I left the training room in high spirits. I missed advanced sparring. Missed feeling the adrenaline rush without having to deal with the death afterwards. Leisure sparring wasn't that bad, I decided, fun even. And if it taught some teens in the process, so much the better.

According to the schedule Alberta gave me, I had a shift watching a Moroi foreign language class. I made my way to the academic buildings and entered my assigned classroom. Students were already seated and guardians were taking their places throughout the room. I immediately recognized the organized positioning they had arranged themselves into, and was able to find my place among them. After a quick glace at the board up front, I had to suppress a groan. This was a Russian 2 class. I had no desire to spend the next 4 hours listening to the butchered pronunciation of the beautiful words of my native tongue. Though there wasn't much I could – or would – do now. Just needed to follow orders.

Class was about to start, but seconds before the bell rang a single student slipped in. He walked over to a desk that was in the back of the room – out of the way and separate from the other students. With his dark hair and piercing blue eyes, I recognized him immediately.

"Cutting it a little close today aren't we Mr. Ozera?" the professor scolded.

"Sorry, I usually try to limit the amount of time I have to spend in hell."

Christian Ozera. Today was full of blasts from the past. An image of those same crystal eyes forced itself from the dregs of my memory. Except the eyes were much younger and filled with what can only be described as desperation. The desperation one sees in a child right after they wake up from a nightmare, begging for the comfort that would tell them that none of it was real. Unfortunately, in Christian's case, it all had been.

Christian's eyes were no longer desperate. They held resolve, resentment, and animosity. And fire. His past hadn't broken him. It'd steeled him. Molded him into something stronger using the very fire that surged through his veins. Tasha had always told me she knew what element he would specialize in, and I'm not surprised. Not by any of it.

I struggled to hold back a smirk at Christian's snarky attitude. He reminded me so much of his aunt, and that amused me. It also comforted me. The Moroi needed more people with Tasha's fire, passion, and confidence. For as long as I'd known her, she'd had an abundance of those, and, through raising him, it had rubbed off on Christian. Though, I don't think he shared her more personable qualities. He seemed to enjoy his solitude.

I guess we had that in common.

* * *

 **AN: Please feel free to leave opinions, thoughts, suggestions, and commentary!**

 **I hope you liked Dimitri's first impression of Mason and Eddie (I freaking love those goof balls!) Them getting in trouble just needed to happen, let's be honest. I'd also love to know what you thought about Christian and his jump from child to teenager in Dimitri's eyes. I don't know if you guys have gotten a chance to read the 10th Anniversary edition of Vampire Academy yet (So good! I actually cried from happiness!) But after reading that, I wasn't sure how often Dimitri saw Christian after their first meeting, or if it was only that one time until the Academy. I don't think Dimitri was all that involved in his life from the way that he and Christian interact in the books. So unless Richelle comes out with another short story (Fingers always crossed) that mentions another meeting of the two, I'm going to assume that this is the first time Dimitri has seen Christian since he was nine years old. But I'd love to hear your opinions on the matter!**

 **Also, I am SO SORRY about the fight scene. I am absolutely trash at writing those! (Sadly you'll be reading another one next chapter.) I know no words beyond the basics like: kick, punch, jab, offense, defense, block and a few more, but you get the gist. I know next to nothing. (Yes, it's true. I totally used Google to come up with "Do-jime maneuver"). Please don't hold it against me:)**

 **Thank you for reading! Hope you have a glorious day!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hello dears!**

 **So sorry for the delay! I just haven't had time to type and revise this past week, but I made time today. Yay!**

 **I'm just going to pre-apologize for the fight scene right now. Hopefully you at least get a visual of what's happening.**

 **Also, this chapter and a later one will contradict what Richelle Mead wrote in the 10th Anniversary edition. I wrote a rough version of this story before the book had come out, and I plan on keeping it how I wrote it (plot wise at least, Lord knows it needs revisions). They aren't super huge contradictions. This chapter, for example, changes were Rose and Lissa went immediately after leaving the Academy. Obviously they still end up in Portland, but this is kind of how I imagined everything before reading Lissa's diary entries. If you absolutely can't stand that I strayed from what actually happened then I suppose you could substitute this chapter for Lissa's story, but then it wouldn't be in Dimitri's POV. Or you could write your own and let me know. I'd love to read it.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy or its characters. Everything belongs to Richelle Mead.**

* * *

The day dragged by slowly. I had two 4 hour shifts and a 1 hour break in between them. Nothing difficult. Just standing, walking, and watching. No excitement of any kind. Very...dull. But I wasn't one to complain. I was trained to stand and watch for hours at a time – to push through discomfort, and to always remain alert no matter how unlikely the danger may be. But, frankly, the thought of this being my life for the next few years nearly made me cringe. Orders were orders.

By the time dinner rolled around, I was ready to start working on a plan with my team. Having a plan meant action. Something to do. A distraction. Hours of silence had given me plenty of time to think, and my thoughts tended to wonder towards Ivan. Memories, both good and bad, made it past my barrier. They hurt. The good ones more so than the bad ones. I had to exert more energy than usual into keeping my face blank.

Once the whole team arrived, I began to voice my idea for a first course of action. "I was looking at the girls' files last night, and I noticed that they Princess owns a summer home."

It only took them a moment to consider what this could mean. "You think they are hiding there," Celeste said. It wasn't a question.

I nodded. "I do. It's not a bad plan either. The house is being paid for by a family friend till Vasilisa is old enough to do so herself. They can live there till the benefactor stops paying, and by that time she will be old enough to make her own decisions and the Academy won't be legally allowed to bring her back."

"But wouldn't the benefactor know that the house was being lived in?" Yuri asked. "The bill would go up for electric, water, and any other utilities."

"Unless they aren't utilizing the house," added Emil. "Rose isn't stupid. She would know this and would find a way for them to stay warm and clean without using the house."

The others nodded in agreement while I added resourcefulness to the growing list of things that was Rose Hathaway. But even with my list, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was so much more that I was missing. I couldn't put my finger on it if I tried.

"I'd like to clear a trip with Alberta this weekend," I continued. "Can all of you clear your schedules on Saturday?" They all confirmed that they could and the meeting ended.

I did eventually arrange the mission with Alberta's seal of approval, and as the days went on I got more and more excited to go. Like a child anticipating his birthday, I anticipated any kind of adventure I could get out of this. Though I'd never let my facial expression give me away.

Throughout the week my team and I memorized the layout of the house and the surrounding neighborhood: every door, window, and possible escape route. We thought through every possible situation and came up with ways for them to end in our favor. That is, with Vasilisa and Rose alive and in our custody.

When Saturday finally came we were ready. We left at 10 pm in a private jet. It was a few hours past the beginning of the vampiric day, but we were counting on them running on a normal schedule since they were living among humans. Our destination was 5 hours away so we would arrive around 3 am. By that time they would hopefully be asleep, therefore more vulnerable. Best case scenario: They really are asleep. Worst case: We find them dead.

Once we arrived, we rented two SUVs and started driving the short distance from the airport to the Dragomir summer home. Celeste and Stephan rode with me while Yuri and Emil took the other vehicle. We were going to come at them from two sides, cutting off the main and back road in the process. There was no way that they were getting past us.

The house came into view, and I turned off the headlights, driving forward slowly. Once I was close enough, I parked the car at an angle, blocking most of the road. We exited the car silently and got into our individual positions. A quick check with Emil through my earpiece told me that he and Yuri were in stationed where they needed to be as well. All that was left was for me to give the signal.

As I surveyed and examined, well, everything, I took in exactly what we were doing. To humans this would probably be considered a kidnapping, but in our world this was more like an unwanted rescue. We, the dhampirs and Moroi, are at war with the Strigoi, and these teens were living out in the world with their best line of defense being an under-trained novice. They were unprotected, and that was unacceptable. My mind would only be able to relax once Vasilisa was safe behind the wards of the Academy. As for Rose, I had no political or professional obligations to protect her, but morally I wanted her to be safe just as much as I wanted the Princess to be.

It took me under a minute to pick out every detail of relevance. The lights were off, there was no movement inside, and the doors and windows were all completely closed. It looked abandon. Closer examination of the door showed scratches around the key hole. The lock had been picked. I felt my adrenaline rise as the possibility of the girls being here rose as well.

Finally I gave the signal, "Move in."

The doors to this house were thick and built sturdily, the kind of handiwork a royal family could afford, but the durable wood splinted under my foot as I kicked the door in. At the front of the house, Emil and Yuri had no trouble busting down their door as well. The sound would inform the girls of our presence, but we weren't going for stealth anymore. More like surprise.

We efficiently made our way through each of the rooms. Every few seconds I would hear "clear" come from a new part of the house. Each one left me more and more discouraged. They _had_ to be here. This was our best lead, practically our only lead.

Together Stephan and I entered the large dinning room. Our sweep was quick, but through, and yielded nothing. I shouted my own "clear" to my team, but as I turned to leave something caught my eye. A note, lightly coated in dust, was sitting on one of the decorative China plates.

 _Better luck next time – Rose_

I swore in Russian. They weren't here.

My immediate reaction was frustration. We missed them. They had been here, but they'd left – a long time ago too if the dust was any indication. Rose knew we would come eventually and she wanted us to know that she knew it. She was clever, and I mentally kicked myself for being out-smarted by a sixteen year old girl. Of course Rose would've known that this house was in Vasilisa's file. They might have come here at first out of desperation, but Rose knew that they wouldn't be able to stay long. They had probably left months ago.

I informed my team of this new development via earpiece. "They aren't here. They were here, but they've left. Search for anything that might give us a clue as to where they went."

"How do you know they aren't here?" Yuri's voice asked.

I sighed at my own humiliation. "Rose left a note."

Emil didn't help matters by laughing. "Of course she did. We'll keep searching, but I doubt we will find anything useful."

"Humor me," I said as I began to leave the room. But right before I reached the doorway, something heavy hit me in the back, hard. I fell to the floor with Stephan on top of me. He had been the heavy object. Which meant that either he tackled me for no apparent reason or there was a Strigoi in the room. More than likely it was the later option. I jumped up out from under Stephan, stake in hand, and spun to face my opponent. It was a tall, slim, woman. She had long, dirty blond hair and pale blue eyes that stood out in contrast to the blood red ring surrounding them. I always thought that that red ring was the creepiest thing about a Strigoi, but then there was the fact that they had no souls.

She lunged towards me, her blue and red eyes shinning with fury, but I sidestepped her while making a swing at her with my stake. She maneuvered her body tactfully so I didn't hit her heart, but momentum made it impossible for her to dodge me completely. My stake ripped across her forearm and she screamed. The living magic making her pain like that of acid on flesh. She made a play for my neck, wanting to kill me quickly, but before she could get a secure hold I used our close proximity to my advantage and elbowed her in the throat, taking her ability to breathe away momentarily. And without skipping a beat, I forced my stake into her heart. Her eyes widened and for half of a second, she wasn't evil. She wasn't a Strigoi trying to kill me. She was just scared. But then she was dead. The fight was over quickly, and I'd won.

A sound behind me had me whirling, but I only found Celeste looking at a cut on Stephan's head. He must've hit it when the Strigoi had thrown him. Celeste shot me a nod that said he was fine then gestured to the door with a jerk of her head. "Emil and Yuri went looking for more. You okay?"

"I'm fine," I mumbled, striding out of the room and taking out my cell phone.

"Where are you going?" she called after me.

"Letting the local Alchemists know about the body."

I stepped out into the cutting night air, grateful for the slight chill as I lifted my eyes to the sky. It was a clear night. There were no clouds to mar the starry landscape. Another mercy to go along with surviving the Striogi encounter, and, yes, even the girls not being here I would consider a blessing. Then there would've been three bodies.

I wasn't the religious type, but I did believe that there was something greater. A deity. God, if you will. I sent up a small prayer asking Him to help us find the girls soon, and a request to keep them safe.

Keep them alive.

Then I called the Alchemists.

* * *

 **AN: Thoughts? Opinions? Please let me know;)**

 **Did anyone else love Rose's sass in the note?**

 **Hopefully I will be able to post the next chapter faster than I posted this one. I probably will because I really love the moment Dimitri will be having with another character. Can you guess who? I will give you a hint. It's not Rose. We aren't quite there yet. Sad, I know.**

 **Thank you for reading! Have a superb day!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Hiya darlings!**

 **I know! I know! I said that I'd post this chapter faster than the last one, but that obviously didn't happen and I am so sorry. Life got in the way (as it tends to do) and time became a limited resource for me. BUT I am here now! Also I added something to this chapter (making it longer than usual) to try and make up for my lateness. You can thank Sacraa (an amazing fanfic writer who has been nothing but encouraging to me in her reviews) for asking me to write a meeting between Dimitri and Christian. That was not in my original plans for this story, but it is a good addition that makes the chapter more humorous and I'm happy with it.**

 **For those of you who read my AN at the end of the last chapter: the character that Dimitri is going to have a moment with is Mason. *Cyber high-five if you were right* Yes, we are also having a moment with Christian this chapter, but when I wrote that note I hadn't yet planned for another Christian appearance, so I don't know. I guess you were right too. *Cyber high-five for you as well***

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Richelle Mead.**

* * *

On the flight back to the Academy I tried to come up with other plans to get the girls back. Where would two teenagers who didn't want to be found go? They would want to remain inconspicuous and hidden, especially Vasilisa. But they would also need to live around humans in order to keep the princess fed. So...where could high schoolers live by themselves, yet around people, without causing suspicion? The answer was in the question: a high school. Or possibly a college campus. They could pass as college goers. It was a stretch, but currently the only lead we had.

Back at the Academy I told my team to get some rest while I reported everything to Alberta.

"May I see it?" she asked after I'd relayed all of the nights events. I handed her the note Rose had left for us, and she just smiled and shook her head ruefully. "That's Rose for you. She's not one to miss an opportunity to let you know that she is one step ahead."

"More like several steps ahead. The note had been there for months."

"Well, its a good thing you have such a long stride then." She smirked at her own joke. "Don't beat yourself up over this. You were only recruited for this mission a little over a week ago, and you have made a lot of progress. We will just have to find another way."

"I actually have a theory as to where they might be," I said, eager to move on from this failure.

"Really?" She raised her brows with either skepticism or she was impressed. "Belikov, you are certainly living up to your reputation."

"Thank you Guardian Petrov, but I don't need praise for doing my job."

Her mouth opened and then closed again as if she were going to say something and then thought better of it. She was probably going to scold me for being so uptight or, more than likely, for calling her Guardian Petrov.

"I'd like to hear your theory, but not tonight," she told me. "You need to rest. Tell me after your _molnija_ ceremony tomorrow."

I nodded and left without another word, secretly dreading tomorrow. The last thing I needed was another tattoo. Another _X_. Another mark on my neck that would in turn etch the woman's eyes into my memory – a memory even more permanent than the ink in my skin. The only consolation offered to me was the sense that I'd freed her from the twisted, undead state that she was "living" in. I wondered if she would thank me if given the chance. My unanswered thoughts turned in my head as I drifted to sleep that night.

I woke up unable to breathe. An invisible hand was holding a closed fist in my throat and I choked on the pressure. Cold sweat coated my forehead and upper lip like a clear, salty paint, and violent shudders rippled through my body.

A minute passed.

When I finally regained my respiratory abilities, my breathing was rapid and I could hear my demanding heart beat in my ears. A glance at my digital clock told me that it was 1:15 pm – the middle of the vampiric night. I threw off my covers, and sat on the edge of the bed with my elbows on my knees and my face in my hands. _Not again!_ I screamed silently to myself through attempted deep breaths that made my lungs burn. I would truly like to brush this off as a simple reaction to a nightmare, and in a way it was. But it was really much more serious than that. I had just had a panic attack.

I started having panic attacks after I killed my first Strigoi 4 years ago. I never told anyone in fear of loosing my job as a guardian. So rather than going to a shrink or seeking out medical help, I pushed through my problems on my own. Most of the time it worked – over 6 months could go by with no problem – but every once in a while, like tonight, my wall of control would crack and crumble, forcing me to acknowledge my weakness.

In order to restore my wall I needed to do something where I felt most in control. So I changed, grabbed my bag, and headed to the gym. Punching. Running. Kicking. I could control those things as if they were instruments, but rather than keys or strings I had my muscles, my training, my stamina. They would work nicely in manipulating the speed, angle, and force – the things I could control. And if I focused on what I could control then I would gain control. I _had_ to gain control.

I expected the gym to be deserted seeing as it was the middle of the night. But when I pushed through the doors it was immediately obvious that I wasn't alone. A novice, one of the boys that had been late to class on my first day here, was getting extra practice on a punching bag, though, what he was doing couldn't really be considered "practice." Practice requires motivation and a goal, and this boy had neither. Carelessly wailing on the punching bag would be a better description of his actions. If he continued like this then he'd break his hand.

"Stop."

His head whipped around at my command, his eyes widened in shock and a little fear, and his face turned as red as his hair. I double checked myself to make sure my own embarrassment wasn't showing. This novice was seeing me at my weakest point, while I was still struggling for stability. I became anxious. What if he asked me why I was here? What if he saw through my facade?

But instead of questioning me, he started spewing out apologies for being out after curfew. That snapped me out of my ridiculous thoughts. I needed to get a grip. I was the guardian here, and he was the student. I was supposed to administer the rules, and he was breaking them. Forcing composure, I interrupted his rambling.

"Mason, right?"

He stopped mid-sentence and nodded. "Yes, Guardian Belikov."

"What are you doing here?"

"Punching a bag."

That wasn't the answer I wanted and Mason knew it. He was using avoidance tactics, though, I couldn't understand why. Well, I wasn't in the mood for beating around the bush for answers, so I rephrased. " _Why_ are you here?"

He surprised me by answering my question with a question. "You guys didn't find Rose, did you?"

Now I understood. It was written clearly all over his face in contours, freckles, and lines that spelled grief, concern, and longing. He cared about Rose, _a lot_. "No," I answered. "We didn't find them."

He gave a sad smile that only highlighted the pain in his eyes. His gaze quickly shifted to the floor to discourage and hide the emotion. "I don't know if I should be happy or upset. She must've had a good reason for leaving the Academy. Rose never does anything without a reason. If she believes that something is the right thing to do, no matter how crazy, she jumps in a does it without considering the danger or the consequences. I guess it's one of the amazing things about her, but it also scares me. I'm terrified that one day we are going to find out that she's dead."

He stared past me at nothing. Mason was no longer in the room with me, he was somewhere else in his mind. Whether he was reliving a memory with Rose or imagining a future time when he learned of her death I couldn't tell, but whatever it was rimmed his eyes with tears. I looked away for both our prides.

Recovering himself, he blinked back the moisture and focused on me again. "She'll be fine," he finally said, convincing himself. "She's strong and smart."

"It takes more than that to live alone in a Strigoi infested world, especially with another life in your hands," I pointed out.

A genuine smile crossed his face this time and he almost laughed. "I know, but Lissa is probably safer with Rose than if she had a fully trained guardian with her. There is nothing, and I mean nothing, Rose won't do for her. They have a special connection, especially since the accident. Never seen anything like it."

Alberta had said something similar when she first told me about Vasilisa and Rose. I thought Ivan and I were as close as it got when it came to dhampir and Moroi friendships, but the more I heard about these girls, the more I wondered if there was more to the story – a deeper reason as to why they were so connected. I guess going through a car crash and being the only two survivors will do that to you.

I shoved that thought to the back of my mind, remembering that I had more immediate issues right now. Like the fact that I was in the gym with a novice after curfew still recovering from my earlier panic attack. I decided to just send him back to his dorm rather than hand him over to the Headmistress. I didn't know him very well, and as much I hated to admit it, I didn't understand what he was feeling for Rose. Love, that is. I'd never been in love, and I didn't plan to be. It was one of my only regrets, but I needed to keep myself focused. Love would only create distractions and complications. I know that now more than ever.

I did, however, understand pain and wanting to find an outlet for frustration, so I'd let him go just this once. "Go back to your dorm, Mason. Get some sleep before Guardian Naphtali's class tomorrow."

"You're not going to take me to Kirov- er, Headmistress Kirova?"

"Would you like me to?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Who am I, a lowly novice, to question a guardian god's judgment?" He said with exaggerated humility.

 _Did he call me a "god"?_

He grabbed his bag and shot me a mock salute before heading to the door. I smiled despite myself. Mason reminded me so much of Ivan. Ivan, too, sometimes broke the rules and goofed around, but he had a good heart and was always ready to smile. He was genuine. Not much of that anymore.

Surprisingly, I felt a lot better. My mind was no longer filled with grief and anxiety. I certainly wasn't happy – I was still frustrated that I didn't find the princess – but I was calm. And even better, I was in control. With no reason to get sweaty and make myself even more fatigued I went back to bed, thinking about my lost friend as I closed my eyes. And for the first time since he died, it didn't cause me overwhelming agony. This was the beginning of healing.

I woke up early the next morning and went for a 7 mile run before I had to start my first shift walking the grounds. It felt good to breathe while putting one foot in front of the other. As if life were that simple and predictable. After a shower, I clocked in and worked my shift till it was time for my break, but instead of working out and eating like I usually did, I went to the church.

The Academy's chapel was beautiful and decent sized. Though, compared to the church my family attended back in Russia it was small, but they served the same purpose and I guess that's what really mattered.

I never really knew what I was hoping to get out of coming to the church. Maybe I thought I'd find peace, forgiveness, salvation, perhaps all three. Whatever the reason, I appreciated the familiar comfort of the pews and tranquil atmosphere, though, I didn't get to enjoy it for long. Fifteen minutes after sitting down I noticed a head of dark hair crossing the back of the church. Christian Ozera. Without thinking I jumped up and headed towards the sullen-looking teen, intercepting him just as he was about to turn down a clandestine hallway which seemed to only contain a dusty staircase. Interesting.

His eyes widened in surprise at the new, hulking obstacle in his path. Upon looking up to my face, his expression transformed to recognition and then back to shock. He apparently hadn't seen me around the school or in his classes this past week.

"Mr. Ozera," I said, extending my hand by way of greeting. "It's been a long time."

"It certainly has, Guardian Belikov." He shook my hand firmly. "Sorry, if I'm being assumptive. For all I know you could still be a novice that's been held back repeatedly for the past 8 years. Forgive me if I hit a sore spot."

My lips tugged up into a light smile. "That would certainly be unfortunate, but no, your first claim was correct. How have you been, Christian?"

He smirked and raised his eyebrows suggestively. "Don't you mean 'how has your aunt' been doing?"

A felt a small pulse of annoyance at the assumption that Christian, and others, had come to concerning my relationship with Tasha. Yes, I cared for her, but never romantically and we'd absolutely never connected physically.

"I meant what I said," I replied earnestly. "Though, I was going to inquire about Lady Ozera after I heard your answer."

His grin dropped as did his smug bravado. Sadly, they were both replaced with irritability, though, not because of me. Because of life. Who could blame him?

"I'm fine. No need to worry. See," - He pulled back his lips into a smile, but it was more of an exposure of teeth - "happy as a blood sucking clam." He then excused himself and turned towards the exit, but threw over his shoulder, "Aunt Tasha is good too by the way. She talks about you sometimes. It's gross."

Before I could ask him why Tasha speaking of a good friend would be "gross" he was gone. It struck me that he hadn't come here to see me, so then why did he leave? Why didn't he continue down the hallway? I wanted to investigate where the staircase lead to – to perhaps get some insight – but I had a ceremony to get to.

When I was a novice I always believed that _molnija_ ceremonies were supposed to be celebrations. I couldn't wait to get my first mark as a badge of honor and pride. But when I actually made my first kill and received my mark, it was the opposite of what I expected. There was very little pride and honor involved, rather, everything was solemn and grim. Killing wasn't glamorous. The after effects, being my panic attacks, were proof of that.

Usually the size of the ceremony depended upon the amount of family and friends that you had, and since my family was on the other side of the world right now and I didn't really have many friends, I expected it to simply be me and the tattoo artist. I honestly wouldn't have minded that, but a few people did come: Alberta and my team members.

We kept conversation light until the school's tattooist, Guardian Mann, showed up. Then I sat on the provided stool, pulled my hair up, and received my sixth mark. When he finished, he put a bandage over it and left. Everyone except Alberta departed soon after, shaking my hand and offering kind words – especially Stephan who believed that I'd saved his life. They were unnecessary, though, and unwanted, but I smiled anyway and forced as much pretension into a "thank you" each time. Afterwards, Alberta and I went to her office so I could tell her my new theory that would hopefully help us find Rose and Vasilisa.

"So what've you got for me, Belikov?"

"I think the girls might be staying at a live-in private high school or on a college campus. Those are the two places that they would receive the least amount of suspicion from the humans and some of the last places we would go looking for teens who escaped from a high school."

She slowly shook her head. "There are hundreds of thousands of college campuses and hundreds of live-in high schools in America, and that's assuming they're still in the United States. There's no way we can search all of them."

"I've thought about that. What if we ask the Alchemists and guardians in the field to search for them too? The guardians would be happy to help return a minor Moroi Princess to us safely, and the Alchemists will do anything their superiors tell them to do. Not to mention, they don't like us living among humans. We should have done this a long time ago. Collaboration gets things done."

She pondered this for a moment and then turned to her computer and started typing. I had no idea what she was doing and curiosity got the better of me so I asked.

"I'm setting up a BOLO for Princess Vasilisa Dragomir and Rose Hathaway," was her answer.

She stopped typing and turned back to me, folding her arm in front of her, not saying anything. I expected maybe an order of some kind, but it never came. "So," I said in the silence. "What course of action do you suggest we take?"

She shrugged. "We wait."

* * *

 **AN: Please express any and all thoughts and opinions in a review. I'd love to hear them! (Well, read them)** **Let me know if you thought any of the characters (Dimitri, Mason, or Christian) were OOC so I can work on that:)**

 **Also, I'd like some opinions. As you know (and if you didn't know then you are about to find out) I have another account ( 00) but for some reason I was logged out and unable to get back in. I'm not tech-savvy so I don't know what happened. Anyway, I had two one-shots on that account that I really love and I kind of want to post them onto this account just so I can have all of my stories together and claimed as mine. Is that stupid? I mean they are already out there for anyone to view so re-posting will probs make people think I'm plagiarizing or something and I don't want that. What do you guys think? Yes, post again. Or. No, just suck it up buttercup.**

 **Thank you so very much for reading! I'm not going to promise a sooner time for posting chapter 7 because that would be unfair to both you guys and myself, so lets just hope I can get my crap together and post quickly;) I love you all! Have an AMAZINGLY PERFECT day!**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: HELLO MY DEAR BEAUTIES!**

 **I know! I'm like the worst ever! It's been a month and trust me, I feel terrible. At first it was due to business then it was due to laziness and then business again! (Hectic? I know.) Anyway, I am here now! Don't worry. I will not give up on this story!**

 **That being said, this story is coming to a close pretty soon. This chapter will either be the second to last or third to last. I haven't decided if I want one really long chapter or two shortish ones. We will have to see.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Richelle Mead.**

* * *

 ***one year after end of last chapter***

I took a deep breath. The air was warm and a little humid, strange for autumn, but I didn't mind. This was it. The day that I had been waiting for since coming to the Academy a whole year ago. It felt like it had been longer thanks to the near agonizing waiting. No, not _near_ agonizing. It _was_ agonizing. Day after day, week after week, month after month. Waiting. Just like Alberta had said. But now it was finally over.

I stood outside the apartments of a small college campus in Portland, Oregon, looking into a dark window only one story up. I couldn't see anything inside, but my heart raced with the knowledge that _they_ were in there. We finally had them.

Two weeks ago we received a call from a newbie guardian, whose Moroi lived in Oregon, claiming he recognized the Princess. We, of course, immediately sent a request to the Alchemists to investigate and validate his report, and, with the usual Alchemist efficiency, they confirmed that the information was good only three days later. When Alberta told me the news my first reaction was to drive here right away and grab them, cuff them, throw them over my shoulders – basically whatever it would take to bring them back. But then I looked at the layout of the grounds where the guardian had said he'd seen them and realized that me going in alone wouldn't be enough. My four person strike team wouldn't even be enough. There were too many escape options...so our rescue/kidnapping had to be delayed. We had to gather a bigger team and that in turn made the strategizing and planning take longer.

Then finally, _finally_ , we were given the green light. It took a lot to get me truly excited, but this did it. Not only was I about to meet and retrieve the two girls that I'd spent the last year of my life searching for, but I was also away from the Academy, really away, for the first time since the first and only (and failed) retrieval mission. Sure, I'd left Academy grounds to run errands and such, but this was different. This was action, and the feeling sent my adrenaline pumping.

Everything was unusually quiet for a college campus. The only sounds were the distant honking of cars and the rustling of leaves as the wind blew through the trees.

And the sudden sound of a girl screaming.

It was coming from the dark, open window that I was currently observing. My muscles tensed and my nerves lit up as I automatically reached for my silver stake. But this wasn't a Strigoi attack. After years in the field, you learn to differentiate between screams, and this one didn't hold the tell tale horror that meant the sight of an undead vampire. I removed my hand from my stake holster at my belt, and, out of the corner of my eye, saw Laurence (the newest and youngest guardian on the team) relax visibly. It was his first mission and while you should always be prepared, we were not expecting to deal with Strigoi tonight. My first mission hadn't been so fortunate.

Seconds after the scream, light filled the room. I could now see everything perfectly from my vantage point. And what I saw was a dark haired dhampir holding a pale and light haired Moroi, stroking her hair and whispering what I could only assume were soothing words.

Rose and Vasilisa.

A cat suddenly jumped up onto the window sill, then onto the bed where they were sitting. Vasilisa began stroking it, calming down further. _What had made her scream?_

Rose began to study the shaken girl with concern and then said something that made the Princess shy away guiltily. When she replied timidly Rose looked upset. "Screw that!" she yelled, the first audible part of this conversation. _What were they saying?_

My confusion only grew when Rose removed the tank top strap from her shoulder and pulled her hair back. But realization quickly dawned on me when she bared her neck to the girl. Vasilisa was hesitant at first, but she eventually gave into her obvious desire and need for blood. She bit into Rose's neck, satisfying her hunger. My eyes widened fractionally and then quickly moved away from the scene, and it certainly wasn't because blood made me squeamish. No, it was because dhampirs giving blood was looked down upon in our society. It was considered dirty and sordid (and many other grotesque synonyms), especially during sex. So what these girls were doing could be translated to a smutty make-out session. Which was probably why Laurence was openly staring with wide, glassy eyes. I clenched my jaw, knowing what his newest fantasies would now look like.

But this wasn't sex. This was survival. Rose was sacrificing herself for her friend. You could practically see the strength flowing from her into Vasilisa. The situation still made me uneasy, but the only disgust I felt was for Laurence and his ogling of the underage girls. For Rose I gained a degree of respect.

When Vasilisa did pull back less than a minute later, she laid Rose down onto the bed, got up, and left the room. I silently cursed myself for not acting when I had the chance, when they were both together.

"We have lost visual on Princess Vasilisa, Rose is still in the room. Wait for my signal to move in. I want them in the same room, if possible, when we extract them," I commanded through my ear piece, getting back to business.

Still looking at the window, the only thing I really saw was the cat. It had jumped back onto the sill when Rose moved closer to Vasilisa. For some reason animals just didn't like dhampirs, and that was evident now considering the death glare I was getting from the feline. Its back was arched and its tail hairs stood on end. I could only guess that it was growling softly as well.

Unfortunately, Rose took notice of the cat's unusual behavior and sat up. She had to close her eyes for a moment and steady herself before stumbling over to the window. She was no doubt still suffering from the effects of the endorphins in the Moroi saliva. That would make my job of apprehending her easier.

She peered out the window and a light breeze played with her long, sleep-mused hair. Within seconds she spotted me and eyed me quizzically. I was hoping that a random guy in the alley wasn't an odd occurrence and that the shadow being casted by the tree I was under would conceal my dhampir characteristics. However, my hope was in vain because her eyes quickly widened in recognition and she jerked away from the window. She began grabbing random things from around the room and then left to, more than likely, find Vasilisa.

"We have been compromised," I said. "I want to be informed the second they leave the building."

"I see them," Yuri declared a minute later. "They've exited through the Northern entrance and are heading towards Brown."

Taking in this information, I gave orders. "I want an all sides approach, but do not engage until I say so."

With that, I took off running down the road parallel to Brown. I was moving faster than the girls were and so my plan was to cut them off. As I passed from the road I was on over to Brown, I saw them. It was hard not to. Vasilisa was barefoot and practically dragging Rose as she stumbled, doing her best to push through the dizziness. Her eyes were locked onto a green Honda about 15 feet to my right. Their getaway car. Their freedom. I wouldn't give them that chance though.

About 10 feet before they reached the car I stepped in front of them, blocking their path. Rose immediately stopped and yanked Vasilisa behind her. She glared at me similarly to how their cat had earlier, with hatred.

I saw my team closing in all around them. There was no way that they could escape, but that didn't seem to faze Rose. In fact it served to increase the fierce and dangerous look in her eyes. This only encouraged the interest and curiosity that had been growing in me since I'd first opened her file so long ago.

"Leave her alone!" she practically snarled at me. "Don't touch her!"

My goal was to collect them, not scare them. So I put my hands out in front of me and took a careful step forward as one might approach a frightened animal. "I'm not going to -"

Apparently my gesture wasn't very convincing because she attacked me. It was a simple move that was taught in fundamentals, and it was poorly executed at that, but the unexpected fire still surprised me. This girl _had_ to know that she had the underhand here, and yet she was still engaging. What was she thinking she could accomplish? I blocked her attacked almost effortlessly, but even that was done a little too hard.

Weakened by the endorphins, she fell backwards and was going to land on the cement street, but I quickly grabbed her forearm before she hit the ground. She steadied herself in my grasp and surprisingly didn't resist. Maybe she was unsure of her ability to stand on her own.

Instincts kicked in and my eyes began to subconsciously sweep over her, looking for injury. But rather than finding any abrasion that I might've created, I found a still bleeding wound on her neck, the one Vasilisa had left. I should've looked away, but I couldn't. How many times had I seen dhampir women around my town with covered bite marks, and bruises on their necks? This one shouldn't have been any different, but it was. The dhampir back home were bitten for filthy pleasure. Rose was bitten to keep her best friend alive. I'd never seen such dedication, and it fascinated me.

Rose, who had been looking at the ground where she would've landed, now looked at me, and noticed where I was staring. Her hand slowly reached to her neck and touched the wound, pulling back she found her finger coated in blood.

I wanted to offer her some medical assistance, but she shook her hair, effectively covering her neck. My eyes lingered there a bit longer till they slid up to her face. At first she looked mildly embarrassed, but then decided she had no need to care what the "enemy" thought and jerked her arm away, readying herself for another attack.

"Rose. Don't." Vasilisa's voiced was so soft. I barely heard it over the still blowing wind.

It took her a minute, but eventually a calming force seemed to come over Rose. The tension in her body left and she had a defeated look on her face. I would have felt bad if this wasn't the moment I had been waiting for for an entire year. The etiquette that had been pounded into me since childhood took over, and I turned to Vasilisa and bowed. After all, she was royalty. When I unfolded my body I found Rose scowling at me. She was holding onto Vasilisa's upper arm in what could have been a gesture of comfort or protection, but I suspected Rose still needed support to hold herself up. It hurt me in a way I couldn't explain, even to myself, to see her in this state. And even more the fact that I wouldn't be able to allow her to completely remedy herself with proper rest once we got back to the Academy. I had orders to bring her directly to the Headmistress. The plane flight would have to suffice.

"My name is Dimitri Belikov," I said, finally introducing myself. "I've come to take you back to St. Vladimir's Academy, Princess."

* * *

 **AN: YAY! Finally we see Rose in the flesh! Please let me know what you think!**

 **lol! Dimitri is one to talk when it comes to "ogling of the underage girls" am I right? Sorry, just pointing it out.**

 **Also, this was the other chapter that I decided I would keep inaccurate to Dimitri's short story in the 10th Anniversary edition due to the fact that I had written this fanfic before that came out. In the 10th anniversary book Dimitri was surprised when he saw the bite on Rose's neck, so he didn't actually witness it first hand, but I always (before reading Dimitri's POV) thought that he had seen them because Rose (in the first book) says that the man outside the window (Dimitri) could have easily "seen what Lissa and I (Rose) had just done." Oh well:)**

 **Thank you for reading! I have yet to revise the next chapter, but hopefully it will happen very very soon. I love you all! Have a wonderful day!**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Hellooooo darlings!**

 **It's been a hot minute, hasn't it? And I'm so very sorry, but here is a new chapter for you lovelies! In fact, this is an extra chapter that was 100% unplanned until 3 days ago. (How lucky are you guys? jk you might hate this chapter and then you wouldn't be very lucky at all, I suppose.) Anyway, I had been planning to do what Richelle Mead does in the book and jump from Dimitri's introduction to them already being on the plane, but then I decided to quell my curiosity (and hopefully yours) about what happened in between those times. So that is what this chapter is:)**

 **Hope you like it!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy or its characters. Everything belongs to Richelle Mead.**

* * *

"Is that supposed to mean something to us? Because I've never heard of you."

The princess sighed in exasperation. "Rose, please."

I ignored them both and called in my team. "The princess is secure. Continue to watch the area and have Derek bring the transport for the girls. I want them to be on that jet within the next half hour."

Rose's head jerked to me at the mention of a jet and her eyes narrowed. We both knew that once we were in the air the possibility of escape was near impossible. She had probably hoped for a long drive with frequent stops. I had no doubt in my team's ability to keep the girls restrained (especially with Rose's condition), but on top of the efficiency of the jet, I also requested the use of it for this very reason. After a year there was no way that I was taking any chances with these girls.

Half of my team continued to hold a perimeter while the other half closed in and created a smaller circle around the girls. Rose wasn't to happy about this and pulled Vasilisa closer, giving the guardians dirty looks. They looked so helpless, but looks could be deceiving. People could be underestimated and I had already made the mistake of doing that today. I wouldn't underestimate Rose again.

"Derek will be here in ten minutes," Emil said, looking frustrated.

"Ten minutes? Why so long?" I demanded.

"Human police," he grumbled. "They weren't supposed to be on patrol in that area tonight, but we were either misinformed or they changed their schedule because they saw our convoy and are asking questions. Don't worry, it will be taken care of, but it will take a few minutes."

Rose snorted. "Congratulations, you captured two teenage girls after two whole years, AND manged to get caught by the human police system in the process. Well done."

I refused to give her the satisfaction of a reaction and instead called the pilot of the jet to let him know about the time delay. Rose rolled her eyes when she was unable to get a ruse out of me. She looked as if she were going to say something more, but quickly snapped her head to her friend with concern in her eyes. I looked at the princess as well, but was unable to see anything wrong. Was Rose simply trying to distract me?

However, in a second Rose had her coat off and was putting it on Vasilisa. I hadn't even noticed the temperature drop, and if the girl had been shivering I hadn't recognized that either. That was odd. What could Rose detect that would escape me? I wasn't underestimating her. This was a matter of logic. A fully trained guardian should be more vigilant than a half trained novice who was also high. Again the connection between these girls amazed me, and the protectiveness of Rose.

Rose's action, while kind, had also exposed her neck once again, and to my horror the bite was still bleeding. It wasn't a significant amount of blood loss, but it certainly couldn't be helping her recover from the endorphins. I was about to offer her the help I had wanted to give earlier, but I wasn't the only one who noticed the still open wound.

"Miss Hathaway, can I help you?" Laurence, without waiting for her answer, placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her hair aside.

Rose's eyes widened – she hadn't expected to be touched, but she quickly turned her shock into anger and grabbed the hand Laurence had placed on her shoulder, flipping him onto his back. She probably would've kicked him too if Emil hadn't pulled her back. She yelled and yanked against Emil's arms.

"Let me go!"

"Do I need to have you put in restraints?" I growled, striding to Rose, more angry with Laurence's impulsiveness and incompetence than Rose's stunt, but preferring to take it out on Rose rather than Laurence at the moment – who was still on the ground with his breath knocked out of him.

"I'd like to see you try," she said through her teeth.

"Guardian Heath was only trying to help, Rose," Emil said gently. "You're still bleeding."

Her neck flushed red, but her face remained angry, refusing to show her embarrassment. Behind me Vasilisa gasped and took a step toward her friend, but Rose's eyes grew and she shook her head. "No, Lissa," she commanded then turned back to me. "I'm fine. Have Emil let me go and I'll take care of myself." She cast a disgusted look in Laurence's direction.

What had Vasilisa been about to do? And why was Rose so against it? And perhaps more importantly, how did Rose know what the princess was going to do?

"That's Guardian Naphtali," I corrected her, setting my questions aside for another time. "And you will let _me_ take care of you."

At this she smiled seductively and winked. "Anytime, Comrade," she purred.

I tried to keep my face neutral, but I felt a muscle in my jaw tick at my growing frustration with this girl. She noticed and her smile broadened. I turned away to get a first aid kit, but also to escape from that infuriating gaze and smile.

Celeste, knowing what I wanted, already had a kit out and was pouring disinfectant on some gauze. Taking it from her, I thanked her and walked back to Rose. Emil had released her, but still stood close enough to grab her again if need be.

"Pull your hair back please," I said.

"I am perfectly capable of doing this myself," she mumbled, her cheeks tinting red this time. "No need to make a spectacle."

My heart softened for her – a little. Life was hard for dhampir women with all of the stereotypes and assumptions. I believed – I _knew_ – that Rose only let Vasilisa drink from her to keep the Moroi alive, but that wouldn't matter to her peers or really anyone in our society. If this ever got out it would bran Rose a "blood whore" and ruin her reputation. Well, ruin it even more.

It didn't matter because I wouldn't let that happen.

"I am not shaming you," I told her quietly. She eyed me curiously. "Now, move your hair so I can clean the wound." Her hate for me slammed back and she sneered, but moved her hair anyway.

I placed my hand on the uninjured side of her neck to steady her. When she didn't reach to flip me I took that as a good sign and continued. I used the gauze to wipe the blood from the puncture first. She didn't flinch at the strong disinfectant, but she bit her lip when I smoothed an Alchemist concoction over the holes that would prevent them from bleeding and also speed up the healing process. Guardians didn't use the solution very much because it only helped small, nonlethal lacerations, and therefore was unnecessary, but I wanted to use it in this case since we would be going back to the Academy immediately.

With her wound disinfected and sealed, I took to cleaning away the blood. It had smudged around the bite and created a ring of red. I wiped it away and continued onto her collarbone where it continued down her neck. However, the blood didn't stop at her collarbone. The trickle had advanced down her chest and to the neckline of the shirt.

The neckline of the loose shirt.

The neckline of the loose and low cut shirt that she had been sleeping in.

I hastily glanced away and handed her the cloth I had been using. Thankfully Rose didn't seem to notice where my eyes had drifted. Never mind the fact that I had been following a path of blood, it was wrong for me to even look.

I turned to find Laurence on his feet and watching Rose remove the blood from her chest with the same glossy expression that he had displayed earlier when she was being bitten. I gave him a death glare that I hoped conveyed that he was to stop looking at Rose immediately. I also hoped he realized that touching her without orders to do so AND letting his guard down enough to get flipped onto his back would be addressed in the near future. And that he should _not_ look forward to that conversation.

To my pleasure, Laurence understood my silent message perfectly and visibly shrank into himself.

When I returned to my position in the circle, I noticed Celeste looking at the dhampir girl with a protectiveness that only came with understanding. Celeste, being both a dhampir and a female, could definitely empathize, but her gaze was deeper than just the acknowledgment of race and gender. I didn't know much about Celeste's back story, despite being one of her coworkers for the past year, so I couldn't say for sure what she saw when she looked at Rose. A friend? A family member? Herself?

"Belikov," Emil had his hand to his headset. He had news. "The police mess has been dealt with. Derek and the others are on their way. They will be here in roughly 30 seconds."

Sure enough, half a minute later a convoy of four SUV's rounded the corner, looking as lethal as the guardians who were driving them. I could see why the police were apprehensive. Both Vasilisa and Rose's faces fell at the sight of them. They were academy issued and the typical vehicle to drive on and off the grounds, so seeing them brought down their morale. Not that they had any morale to begin with, but the familiar cars certainly didn't help their moods.

The middle SUV pulled up to the curb where our small ring was standing, and Derek rolled down the window. "Sorry Guardian Belikov, the human police were tricky to get rid off. We had to show them our fake -"

"It's okay Guardian Keat. You are here now, and I'd like to leave as soon as possible."

"Of course," he said, not minding my interruption.

I opened the door and Celeste, Laurence, and Emil filed into the back seat. This was the seating plan we had created. Three guardians in the back, the girls would sit in the middle, and Derek and I would sit in the front. Just like on the street we would create a barrier of guardians that served for their protection as well as their confinement.

After glancing inside the car, Rose had Vasilisa enter first then she did a quick perimeter sweep. At least I thought she was doing a perimeter sweep, but then she stopped and simply stared at the same spot. This set me on edge, but when I turned to look where she was staring I saw nothing. At least nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing to indicate the presence of a Strigoi. But she still continued to look at that specific spot with a blank expression on her face. Was this some kind of attempt at an escape? Was she trying to distract us with a fake threat?

"Rose. Get in the car." I reached to grab her arm, but she suddenly snapped out of whatever she had been doing. After blinking a few times, she looked at me and seemed surprised that I was standing there. She recovered herself with a look of contempt that I'd now come to know, and ducked into the SUV.

I closed the door behind her and rounded to the passenger seat. Once inside I radioed for the lead of the convoy to begin driving to the airport, and immediately Derek began talking (much to my dismay). Derek was an excellent guardian and a good guy, but he was also very talkative and sometimes it was best to just tune him out in order to keep your sanity. However, at the moment his chattiness was perhaps beneficial. It provided at good cover for me to listen to the girls' conversation without seeming like I was listening.

"I know this is a little scary, but I need you to try and calm down. Your nerves are messing with my head. I need to think strait so I can figure out a way to get us out of this."

"Did – did it happen again, just now? Outside of the car?"

"Don't worry about it."

"It did happen, didn't it?"

"Only for like 10 seconds. Don't look at me like that. It's not like I can control it. You know that."

"I know. Sorry. I'm just – I just..."

"Hey, don't think like that. We'll figure this out. I won't let anything happen to you."

In the rear view mirror I saw the princess give an uneasy nod.

"Rose, what if – well, what if I maybe tried to -"

"Shh. No. There's too many of them. And don't say anything. I'm pretty sure the Russian is listening."

How she knew I'd been eavesdropping, I had no idea. Maybe she was just suspicious by nature. But now I had no way of knowing their plans for escape so that I could take the necessary measures to stop them. I'd have to separate them on the plane. Neither would leave the other behind and the odds of one of them being able to create a viable plan without any sort of collaboration were slim.

Without having to listen to their conversation anymore – since they'd stopped talking due to the correct assumption that I'd been monitoring them – I was able to focus on dissecting what they'd just said. What had Vasilisa meant by 'did it happen again'? Did what happen again? Had she been referring to Rose's odd staring? Did this happen often? It couldn't be something medical like a seizure. That would've been stated in her file. This made no sense. In fact, none of it made sense.

Why were these girls so connected? What made them so attuned to each other? Why did Vasilisa's words have such an affect on Rose when she was preparing to attack me again? How did Rose know that Vasilisa needed another jacket? How did Rose always seem to know what the princess was about to do or say before she did or said it? What was Vasilisa going to do when Rose was hurt? How did Rose know what it was that the princess would do and why did she stop her? What had Vasilisa been about to say just now that would supposedly help them escape? Again – how did Rose know what it was going to be? And how did this all connect to Rose's lapse of attention?

I'd only ever seen two other people interact like this. And they...they were bonded.

The realization blew my mind. Suddenly all of their weird behavior made sense, except maybe the staring. I still had no idea what that was about. But the over protectiveness, concern, and silent messages and signals now had a logical explanation. Rose and the princess were bonded.

How did this happen? Mark and Oksana never explained how they became bonded so everyone in town just assumed it was because they were so deeply in love. Was that the case here? Were Rose and Vasilisa a couple? Maybe...maybe the bite _had_ been for pleasure.

No. No, the girls may be close, but it wasn't hard to see that their love for each other was purely a friendship or sisterly love. Perhaps it didn't have to be a romantic love that created the bond. Or maybe love had nothing to do with it. The rumor about the origin or Mark and Oksana's bond had probably been created by a lovesick teen trying to prove to that true love existed.

The 'how' was a question for another time, though, because we had just pulled into the airport and I saw Rose's eyes light up with the prospect of getting out of the car and making a break for it during the chaos of loading the plane. She apparently had been away too long to have forgotten that guardians don't permit chaos.

"Naphtali, please escort the princess onto the jet immediately," I said the moment the car stopped. "Miss Hathaway, you will come with me."

She pressed her lips into a thin line and her eyes shot daggers. She was furious.

I had to hold back a smile.

* * *

 **AN: Thank you for reading! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought of this in between the scenes chapter!**

 **Personally, I needed this chapter so that I could better explain how Dimitri came to the conclusion that Rose and Lissa were bonded. The book didn't really give us a lot of "bond moments" that were witnessed by Dimitri that might have lead him to believe that they had a bond so I created some of my own. Hopefully his thought process and his many questions throughout the chapter make sense and aren't too confusing.**

 **Plus it was fun to get a little more sass from Rose that was unscripted:)**

 **Once again, thank you for reading! If you got confused or have any questions then please don't hesitate to ask and I'll PM you.**

 **Have a magnificent day!**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: HIIIIIIIIIIII!**

 **Contrary to popular belief, I AM NOT DEAD! I am, however, ashamed that it took me almost 3 WHOLE MONTHS to update! I am so sad at myself! Anyway, I am back. It's just been a CRAZY few months and I could literally make a list that would extend around the world 5 times with the reasons why I didn't update sooner, but I'm sure none of you want to read that list and would much rather read THE LAST CHAPTER of Dimitri's Prequel:) This chapter is extra long since I decided not to split it up into two, so I hope you enjoy!**

 **Also, one of the comments (from way back in April, O MY GOSH! Still sad at myself) addressed something I got wrong in chapter 1. I don't know if you are still reading Sienna, but since I can't PM you, I'm letting you know here that you were right about Alto not being in his mid-thirties. He is only a few years older than our fav Russian;) thank you for pointing that out.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy or its characters. Everything belongs to Richelle Mead.**

* * *

Vasilisa exited the car as instructed with Emil at her heels. I watched as a stream of guardians flowed out of the other vehicles and into practiced lines leading from the princess to the plane. At the moment, though, she didn't look much like a princess. Her clothing resembled someone forced to live on a tight allowance, her face held fear, her stride showed exhaustion, and even her demeanor lacked the regality of royalty. She looked broken somehow, like a mental weight had been placed on her. More than likely the accident was the cause, but maybe there was more…

I continued to wait in the car with Rose while Vasilisa boarded the jet. She looked like she was about to blow up at any moment with the way she was sitting on the edge of her seat and leaning towards the door anxiously. At first I thought she was readying for an escape attempt, but after noticing the way her eyes followed her friend, I realized she was only readying herself to jump into action and protect if need be. When Vasilisa was safely inside, I got out of the SUV with a nod to Keat (he and a few other guardians would be taking the long way home in order to return the Academy's vehicles) and opened the door for Rose. After exchanging the usual pleasantries – a glare of hatred from her and a look of indifference from me – she stepped out of the car.

And immediately collapsed.

My arms circled her before she could hit the pavement, and I hoisted her up. The air strip provided better lighting than the street did so I could now see that she was very pale. She closed her eyes tightly for a moment and when she opened them I was surprised beyond words to find them beseeching.

"Don't tell Lissa," she pleaded. "She'll worry."

I stared back into her dark eyes (perhaps a little longer than necessary), trying to find a few more pieces to the puzzle that was Rose Hathaway. Delinquent, rule breaker, and "kidnapper" yet devoted protector to one of the most important people in the world. Protector not only of body, but of mind and emotions.

I nodded and she looked relieved.

I began to make my way towards the jet, but she stopped me by saying, "I can walk myself. I was just a little light headed." Then with added attitude and defiance, "Put me down."

I was happy to oblige, but once she was on her feet I still kept the distance between us short. No need to add head trauma due to falling to her light-headedness due to blood loss. The second we got on the jet Rose located Vasilisa and soon after was by her side.

I went in the opposite direction, to the cabin of the jet, in order to talk to the pilot. He let me know that everything was working properly and we could leave at any time. I told him to give me 5 minutes to contact the academy and then he could begin the take off. Then I thanked him as I ducked out.

Taking out my cell phone, I called Alberta.

"Guardian Petrov," she answered.

"We have the princess," I told her. "She is unharmed and secure."

"That's wonderful! I knew you could do it, Dimitri." She said nothing for a moment. "And...Rose?"

"Also safe."

"Thank God," she let out in a breath of relief. "That girl – never mind. Call me when you're close to landing so I can send some cars for you. And...thank you Belikov."

After hanging up, I turned to face the aisle and nearly cursed. I'd forgotten to order the girls to be separated, and as a result they were sitting side by side, engaged in a whispering conference. I didn't miss the way Rose's eyes darted from guardian to guardian, noting their position, attention, and distance from the door. This had to stop immediately.

"Don't let them talk to each other," I commanded. "Five minutes together and they'll come up with an escape plan."

Stephan quickly rose from his seat and made a gesture for Rose get up as well and follow him to the back of the jet. Instead of glaring, Rose threw a superior look over her shoulder as she lazily walked down the aisle. She acted as if she and the princess had already figured out a plan and I hadn't actually interrupted them, but Vasilisa's face told a different story. They had no plan.

As I sat down next to Vasilisa near the front of the plane, she tensed. I didn't want to cause that kind of reaction, so I tried to look as unintimidating as possible. Not very easy for a large, Russian guy mind you.

Time passed and her nerves still didn't calm down. In fact, they seemed to get worse. She held a death grip on a water bottle beside her while her other hand furiously played with the fabric of Rose's coat. All the while I sat there helplessly, unsure of what I could do or say to assure her that she would be okay. That she was safe now.

Minutes before we reached our destination, I got up to call Alberta and inform her of our impending landing, but after hanging up I didn't return to my seat. Instead I moved to the back to talk to Rose. She had been quiet the entire flight no matter how much probing Stephan did. I wondered how I could get her to open up.

As I took the seat beside her, her head jerked to the window, refusing to even acknowledge me. She didn't look intimidated or afraid. More like annoyed and defiant (apparently our truce that we'd made before getting on the plane was over). No other student had ever acted like this towards me. It was frustrating. Why was she being so difficult? I thought about what I could say to initiate a response, but the only thing I could think to ask was something I had been wondering since she leaped at me on the street.

"Where you really going to attack all of us?" I asked.

Nothing.

Okay. I could be stubborn too. New tactic. "Doing that...protecting her like that – it was very brave." Again, nothing. She didn't respond to my praise, but maybe she would respond to a little criticism. "Stupid, but still brave. Why did you even try it?"

The muscles in my hand twitched (as a reflex, of course) when she pushed a curtain of dark hair aside and met my eyes unflinchingly.

"Because I'm her guardian," she said as if it should have been completely obvious, like it were already true. Then she turned back to the window.

Her words – and the tone she said them in – caught me off guard. She had spoken them with so much passion you could practically believe them. I was pretty good at reading people, but this was the second time that Rose had surprised me today. She was unpredictable. Her fire was compelling and could be a great asset if she learned to control it.

I got up and returned to the front of the plane when I started to feel it descend. I was surprised to see that Vasilisa was smiling – my guess was that she had heard Rose's answer to my question. When she saw me, though, her smile left and she looked straight ahead. She wasn't being defiant like Rose, she was still frightened. Great. My charge was scared of me. But now, after listening to Rose, I knew what I could say to help her.

I leaned in and spoke quietly. "I'm sorry about your family, Princess. I can't imagine your pain." She bit her lip and looked down. Her face twisted at the memory playing in her head. "I realize that Rose is the closest thing to have to family right now and she has no guarantee of staying at the Academy. But I promise I will do everything in my power to keep you two together."

She looked at me and studied my face, searching for any sign of deception. When she found none, a small smile slowly formed. "Thank you," she whispered.

Her gratitude was genuine, as was my promise. I may not know Rose very well, but I knew potential when I saw it. Sure she was impulsive, undisciplined, and had a lot of catching up to do, but her mind was in the right place. She knew what it meant to be a guardian, to be selfless. You only had to spend a minute with these girls to see that Rose put all of Vasilisa's needs and wants above her own. Her priorities were straight and she could become a good – a great – guardian. Not to mention the advantage of a bond in a guarding relationship. I was still unsure as to how it all worked, but Babushka – being friends with a pair of bond mates – had always told my sisters and I stories about great warriors of the past who did amazing things due to a bond. And Lord knows our world could use some "amazing things" right now – what with Strigoi numbers rising constantly.

Once the jet touched down, we immediately moved the girls to the SUV's waiting for us. Upon arrival at the Academy, Vasilisa took a deep breath as I helped her out of the car. It was barely noticeable but I could see that she was shaking. She may not be afraid of me anymore, but she was still terrified of what awaited her at St. Vladimir's. This had to be more than fear of punishment, but I couldn't imagine what else it could be.

My thoughts were broken by Rose jogging up to me. "Hey, Comrade." There was that nickname again.

"So now you want to talk?" She rolled her eyes and ignored my question.

"Are you taking us to Kirova?"

" _Headmistress_ Kirova," I insisted. She obviously had little respect for authority, and that would be a problem one day if she wanted to be a guardian.

Ignoring the "behave yourself" look that Vasilisa gave her, she continued on. "Whatever. She's still a self righteous old bit -"

She cut herself off from saying what I'm sure was going to be the word 'bitter' and not an obscenity as we entered the commons. It was breakfast time and all of the Moroi and dhampir students were there. When they noticed the girls, none of them bothered to hide their shock or their stares.

Vasilisa looked as if she'd just been thrown into a lion's den, shrinking into herself and looking at the floor. I felt bad and sympathized with her. I didn't like being under the microscope anymore than she did.

Rose, however, radiated confidence and fearlessness. She met their stares and smirked as if their opinions weren't worth her time. I couldn't tell how much of her attitude was an act, but maybe it wasn't an act at all and she really did feel comfortable – though, I doubted it.

We made it through with nothing more than silence and stares, though, I was sure the entire cafeteria was now buzzing with talk about the girls' unexpected return. On the way to Kiro – Gah! _Headmistress_ Kirova's office – Alberta joined us. Upon seeing the girls, her face lit up with more emotion than I'd ever seen from her. She quickly righted herself to indifference, but I didn't miss the millisecond where she had looked like a mother seeing her children for the first time in years.

As we entered the office, Rose's smug smirk left, though, I think it was more due to her dislike of the old woman rather than timidity. The girls sat in identical chairs across from the headmistress' desk and the mini army of guardians left, leaving only Alberta and I. We took up positions that ensured the most safety if a Strigoi were to attack, OR if Rose were to act out using more than her words.

Headmistress Kirova, sitting on the opposite side of the desk, spun around in her chair like you would imagine a villain doing in a cheesy movie. Her face was harsh and cold. The only thing missing was a cat in her lap and a crack of thunder. She rose from her seat slowly, examining both of the delinquents. Her eyes narrowed when she got to Rose. Not a good relationship I realized, thinking about Rose's track record and all of the times she was probably sent here.

She opened her mouth to start her disciplinary speech, but a new voice – a rather quiet and ragged voice – spoke up before she got the chance.

"Vasilisa."

The Princess whipped her head around, recognizing the voice. "Uncle!"

Prince Victor Dashkov was sitting to my left. His fairly young body was weak and frail thanks to a chronic disease, and so he had trouble standing. Vasilisa wasted no time rushing to him and embracing the old friend.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see you safe, Vasilisa," he said, pulling back. "And you too, Rose."

The young dhampir nodded her acknowledgment, but then quickly looked away with what seemed to be a guilty expression. Interesting. Rose didn't seem like the type to have any regrets. Vasilisa helped Prince Dashkov back into his seat and then returned to her own.

The headmistress, sure that there would be no more interruptions, didn't hesitate in starting the lecture that she had been dying to give. It was stern and slightly over-dramatic, but still filled with valuable points that both girls needed to hear about responsibility and behavior. Unfortunately, I don't think Rose was listening. Her posture was relaxed and uncaring as she slumped back in her seat, and her facial expression looked bored as her eyes stared blankly out the window of the office.

The lecture suddenly focused specifically on Rose, so with the slightest adjustment of her eyes from the window to the headmistress her attention was regained.

"You, Miss Hathaway" - She used 'miss' in a degrading way that made the girl seem childish - "broke the most sacred promise among our kind: the promise of a guardian to protect a Moroi. It is a great trust. A trust that you violated by selfishly taking the princess away from here. The Strigoi would love to finish off the Dragomirs; _you_ nearly enabled them to do it."

With some new found confidence, Vasilisa came to Rose's defense. "Rose didn't kidnap me. I wanted to go. Don't blame her."

"Miss Dragomir" - there was that 'miss' again - "you could have been the one who orchestrated the entire plan for all I know, but it was still _her_ responsibility to make sure you didn't carry it out. If she's done her duty, she would have notified someone. If she'd done her duty, she would have kept you safe."

"I _did_ do my duty!" Rose yelled, jumping up from her chair. I tensed. She was getting worked up, but she hadn't hit anyone...yet, so I stayed put. "I did keep her safe! I kept her safe when none of _you" -_ she used her hands to gesture around the room to emphasize her point - "could do it. I took her away to protect her. I did what I had to do. You certainly weren't going to."

What was that supposed to mean? If Vasilisa was at the Academy then she would've been safe from Strigoi. What more protection could she need? The headmistress was apparently thinking the same thing.

"Miss Hathaway, forgive me if I fail to see the logic of how taking her out of a heavily guarded, magically secured environment is protecting her. Unless there's something you aren't telling us?"

Rather than making a witty quip or talking back – which is what I'd come to expect from this girl – Rose bit her lip and looked at the floor.

"I see," said Headmistress Kirov – screw it – said Kirova with a smirk. "Well, then. By my estimation, the only reason you left – aside from the novelty of it, no doubt – was to avoid the consequences of that horrible, destructive stunt you pulled just before your disappearance."

"No, that's not -" Kirova didn't giver her a chance to finish.

"And that only makes my decision that much easier. As a Moroi, the princess must continue on here at the Academy for her own safety, but we have no such obligations to you. You will be sent away as soon as possible."

Rose's eyes went wide. "I...what?" she said in a small voice. The outgoing and confident atmosphere that had been surrounding her left.

"You can't do that!" Vasilisa shouted. She jumped up from her seat in outrage like Rose had earlier. "She's my guardian."

"She is no such thing, particularly since she isn't even a guardian at all. She's still a novice."

"But my parents -"

"I know what your parents wanted, God rest their souls, but things have changed. Miss Hathaway is expendable. She doesn't deserve to be a guardian, and she will leave."

That was harsh. Rose made a mistake, yes, but she had the potential and, if Kirova let her stay, the means to become a great guardian. She was letting her dislike for Rose get in the way of seeing what I could see, but how could I argue that?

Rose's initial shock turned into anger. "Where are you going to send me? To my mom in Nepal? Did she even know I was gone? Or maybe you'll send me off to my _father_?" If I hadn't read her file last year, stating that Rose never knew her father, then I would've known now based on the extra dose of venom in that last word. She wasn't done though. "Or maybe you're going to try to send me off to be a blood whore. Try that, and we'll be gone by the end of the day."

Kirova looked scandalized that Rose had even said such a phrase as "blood whore" in her presence. "Miss Hathaway, you are out of line."

This wasn't going well. Rose was trying to argue, but it was to no avail. She was making her arguments based off of rage and Kirova was having none of it. She needed something solid, a foot hold, a good reason to stay. I surprised myself when I heard my voice give that "good reason."

"They have a bond," I said. All eyes turned to me. "Rose knows what Vasilisa is feeling. Don't you?"

Kirova appeared shocked at first. Then she looked from one girl to the other as if this suddenly explained a few things, but she didn't want to accept it knowing having a bond would give Rose reason to stay on at the Academy with Vasilisa.

"No...that's impossible. That hasn't happened in centuries."

"It's obvious," - at least it was to someone who grew up with bond mates as family friends - "I suspected as soon as I started watching them."

"That is a gift. A rare and wonderful thing," said Victor, chiming in.

"The best guardians always had that bond," I continued. "In the stories."

"Stories that are centuries old," she countered. "Surely you aren't suggesting we let her stay at the Academy after everything she's done?"

I was. And Kirova was _not_ happy about it. I did agree with her on some points. Rose had crossed a line, a few lines, by leaving with Vasilisa, but I also knew Rose was worth keeping around.

"She might be wild and disrespectful, but if she has potential -"

Rose cut me off.

"Wild and disrespectful? Who the (heck) are you anyway? Outsourced help?"

"Guardian Belikov is the princess's guardian now. Her _sanctioned_ guardian."

"You got cheap foreign labor to protect Lissa?"

Her words, while pretty much spot on – I certainly didn't become a guardian because of the pay and, well, I _was_ foreign – were meant to hurt me because of the 'wild and disrespectful' comment, but I wasn't offended. More like frustrated that she wouldn't keep quiet. Her outbursts were only putting her in a bigger hole.

Kirova sighed loudly in annoyance, and used her arms to dramatically gesture towards Rose. "You see? Completely undisciplined! All the psychic bonds and _very_ raw potential in the world can't make up for that. A guardian without discipline is worse than no guardian."

"So teach her discipline. Classes just started. Put her back in and get her training again."

"Impossible. She'll still be hopelessly behind her peers."

"No, I won't," Rose input, wanting to defend herself.

"Then give her extra training sessions," I said, ignoring her. This was no longer her fight. Nothing she could say would help her case, not with Kirova's prejudice. Rose's fate was in my hands now.

"So you want to reward her for breaking the rules?"

"I would hardly call extra training sessions a 'reward' to a novice."

"Her staying is a reward itself."

"And sending her away is a waste."

She hesitated now. She was almost out of arguments, but not quite.

"Who's going to put in the extra time? You?"

I stopped. I had not expected it to backfire like this. "Well, that's not what I -"

She folded her arms across her chest, looking very pleased with herself. "Yes. That's what I thought."

I wasn't a teacher. I just wasn't the type. A teacher needed patience and control, and while I tended to have patience in spades – thank you three sisters – my control was barely held back behind a guardian mask. And after only a few hours with Rose I could tell that I'd need _a lot_ of both of those things to be her mentor. A million thoughts and possibilities hit me at once. Could I help her? Would me teaching her have any effect? Could she become the great guardian that I kept advocating? What would this do to me? Could this be a learning experience for me as well as Rose? Should I make mentoring a student my biggest concern right now?

I also thought about the promise that I'd made Vasilisa. _I will do everything in my power to keep you two together._ I looked down at the girls. Both of them wore the same expression of hope mixed with pleading. They were afraid of the Academy – for reasons I didn't know – but they were more afraid of loosing each other.

The look in Rose's eyes made me want to help her. 'Help the helpless' was just as much of a mantra to me as 'They come first.' And while 'helpless' wasn't an adjective that I could see Rose being called often – what with her fire, resourcefulness, and abilities – she was helpless in this situation, and I was the only one that could save her. That gave me determination.

"Yes, I can mentor Rose. I'll give her extra sessions along with her normal ones."

Kirova had not expected that answer and was obviously not pleased. "And then what? She goes unpunished?"

"Find some other way to punish her. Guardian numbers have gone down too much to risk losing another. A girl, in particular."

"I'm inclined to agree with Guardian Belikov. Sending Rose away would be a shame, a waste of talent."

Kirova turned to look out the dark window. She may not like having convincing arguments thrown at her, but she _had_ to take them into consideration – being the headmistress and all. Plus Victor's words, because he was a high up royal, held extra weight. She faced the room again, but I still couldn't tell if she was convinced or not.

Vasilisa caught her gaze and pleaded for her best friend one more time. "Please, Ms. Kirova. Let Rose stay."

Our combined efforts must have won her over because she eventually let out a sigh of defeat. "If Miss Hathaway stays, here's how it will be." She pierced Rose with a no-nonsense glare. "Your continued enrollment at St. Vladimir's is strictly probationary. Step out of line _once,_ and you're gone. You will attend all classes and required trainings for novices your age. You will also train with Guardian Belikov in every spare moment you have – before _and_ after classes. Other than that, you are banned from all social activities, except meals, and will stay in your dorm. Fail to comply with any of this, and you will be sent...away."

She didn't specify what "away" meant, but really she didn't need to. Any place away from the Academy meant separation from Vasilisa. This was her best option, but she was still ticked about it and made sure we all knew it.

"Banned from all social activities? Are you trying to keep us apart? Afraid we'll run away again?"

"I'm taking precautions. As I'm sure you recall, you were never properly punished for destroying school property. You have a lot to make up for." She paused and let it all sink in. "You are being offered a very generous deal. I suggest you don't let your attitude endanger it."

Rose was about to let her attitude do just that. I could tell that she had a snappy retort on her tongue, but then she caught my eyes. Our gazes locked for a few seconds. I hoped she was reading the silent message I was trying to send her. It mainly said _Don't be a fool, take the offer._ But it also held a sort of confidence boost. _I've got your back. I will help make you into a great guardian._ She looked away from me, but my eyes stayed on her as I wondered what she was thinking. She was unreadable, and I was afraid that she might actually consider not taking this deal.

A whole minute must've passed before she looked up again. With a quick glance at the princess and a sigh, she gave her answer: "Fine, I accept."

No one seemed very happy with this deal. Rose was angry because of this new restraining order from the world, Kirova still wanted Rose gone, and Vasilisa, though relieved, was still wishing they were in Portland or anywhere but here. As for me, well, I wasn't _un_ happy. This would be a good opportunity for me, but I also wasn't jumping for joy that Rose Hathaway was now _my_ responsibility. I could hear Stan's laughing voice now telling me that I'd just jumped into a fight that I have no chance of winning.

Yuri and Emil came and took Vasilisa while Alberta and I escorted Rose away. The first stop was the guidance counselor's office so she could get her class schedule. Once that was taken care of, we took Rose to her first class. She walked behind us at a leisurely pace, pretending to take in all of the old walkways and structures that she hadn't seen for two years, but I could tell she was just trying to delay her debut in front of her peers. Maybe she wasn't as self-assured as I'd thought.

We reached the Academy gym that held her first class, advanced guardian combat techniques, and I held open the door for her to walk through. She shot me a glare that said she didn't appreciate the gentlemanly gesture, but I wasn't doing it to be a gentleman. I wasn't fully convinced that she wouldn't bolt once Alberta and I walked through the door. Not that she would get very far – but still.

As she strode in, it was the cafeteria scene all over again: silence and stares. Her smug smile was back as she scanned the room. Rather than cowering, she seemed to glow under all of the attention as if she demanded it. Her smile grew genuinely happy when she spotted a familiar face.

"Hey Mason, wipe that drool off your face. If you're going to think about me naked, do it on your own time."

Well...that was certainly an opening. A few of Mason's friends laughed, wolf-whistled, or teasingly hit his arm. He lazily smiled back, but I could see the relief in his eyes, making me remember the concern and adoration he felt for her. The past year hadn't changed a thing regarding his feelings for her.

"This _is_ my time Hathaway," he replied. "I'm leading today's session."

"Oh, yeah?" Rose remarked, continuing the taunt. "Huh. Well, I guess this is a good time to think about me naked, then."

"It's _always_ a good time to think about you naked," another novice, Eddie Castile, added.

Although this was just Rose's way of breaking the ice, I had been a teenage boy once and I knew minds were starting to wander. Admittedly, my own traitorous mind took the liberty of remembering the glimpse of her generous cleavage I'd seen in Portland while cleaning away her blood. Thoroughly disgusted with myself, I decided that this was as good a time as any to take my leave. As I made my way to the back exit, I muttered to myself in Russian about already being in way over my head. I could already tell my mentor relationship with Rose Hathaway was going to be its own personal adventure. I just hoped to God that I was prepared.

* * *

 **AN: This may be the end of this story, but I would still LOVE to know what you thought so that I can potentially improve on other future pieces!**

 **Also, before I'm accused of taking Dimitri OOC, let me state that I know he would never just say "screw it" when it comes to titles, respect, and addressing someone properly. I just got tired of having to type out "Headmistress Kirova" when "Kirova" was sufficient enough to get the point across. Apologies.**

 **I want to thank you all for sticking with me to the end on this. It may not be a huge story, but it was still important to me and the kind things that were said throughout were a large part of the reason I kept posting.**

 **If you enjoyed this story or liked my writing style or were entertained with the way my mind works and how I portray the VA characters, then you might want to check out 'Deleted Scenes'. I have a few short stories in my mind that I will hopefully be writing and posting on there soon.**

 **Thank you again! I love you all to pieces! Have a phenomenal day!**


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